Haruhi's Knight
by MurasakiYosei
Summary: This is nothing like the original anime/manga. I've changed it around like crazy. Haruhi used to live in America, but after her mother passes away, she moves to Japan to live with her alcoholic/abusive father. MoriXHaruhi ATTENTION: I'm writing a sequel to this story called Painfully Unique. Please go check it out :D
1. Chapter 1 Saying Hello and Farewell

** A/N: I do not own Ouran Highschool Host Club or any of the Characters. This my first fanfic/long term writing project, so don't judge my short chapters. I'm pretty busy during the week, but will try to upload frequently! . Enjoy please!**

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she slowly dragged her pink luggage through the busy airport. Each step was exaggeratedly slow, stretching out every last moment she had with her friends. Belinda, Nicolette an Snow followed, tears blurring their vision, as well.

"Haruhi," said Belinda, "what if we-"

"We can't, B." said Snow, cutting her off mid sentence. "We can't kidnap her, we can't hide her, we can't do anything, because her dad still has custody, and will come looking for her. We've already been over this."

"We can at least take another picture!" ,said the ever enthusiastic photographer, Nicolette, trying to lighten the mood. "I have my camera right here."

"When don't you have your camera, Nikki?" asked Haruhi jokingly. She set down her luggage on the conveyor belt, and prepared for what could be her last group hug with her friends. "How are we supposed to look for this one?" Nicolette paused for a moment, thinking.

"Natural." she said, "Nobody wipe your tears, just grab Haruhi and smile."

Haruhi sighed, remembering the last moment she had with her friends. It seemed like so long ago she was at her mother's funeral, wondering what was going to happen to her now that she had no home. A social service lady told her she had to move back in with her dad. That thought scared her more than she would ever admit to any one. Ronka, started out as the perfect father. He always defended her, picked her up when she fell, and tried to make every minute of her life magical. She didn't have a problem with the fact that he was a transvestite, or that he worked at one of the few transvestite bars in her small town. Everything was perfect until he started coming home smelling worse and worse. He would stagger in and yell at the slightest thing she or her mother did wrong. He started drinking more each day. Not long after, these changes occurred he started beating Haruhi and her mother. Haruhi had to wear dark stockings to cover the bruises. She went a whole summer wearing long sleeves and jeans. She took no trips to the beach, and flinched at every mistake she made. Growing accustomed to the sharp blow that usually followed.

Belinda was the only person outside the family who knew of her father's violent tempers. She had sworn not to tell any one and had kept true to her promise. She threatened to tell the police when Haruhi came to school with a black eye.

"Haruhi, if you don't tell somebody, I will" she'd said that day on the playground.

"No!" Haruhi practically shouted, "My mom just told him last night that unless he left and got his act together then she would tell somebody, so he got real mad, but now he's gone, so you don't have to worry. It's just that, we still love him and we want him to go back to the way he was when he was nice. The only way he can do that is if he goes to special meetings for people like him." Haruhi chuckled to herself, remembering her small seven year old voice. _Those meetings started to work, _she thought, holding the case of beer he sent her to pick up. _Mom's death just through you right back out there, didn't it Dad?_


	2. Chapter 2 Adjusting

_**A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I was very flattered when I got some emails stating that people were going to start following my story. If you think the chapters are too short then please include it in your review, and I will try my hardest. **_

_**A/Np.s: Please be honest when answering this question: Do you think Ranka sounds more like a drunk black/redneck man? (no offense intended as, I am black and currently living in the south)**_

_**A/N p.s.s: Ignore any mistakes I make about life in Japan or about life in a Japanese classroom. I'm just going by the anime since I haven't read the manga ^^; sorry!**_

Chapter 2

Walking through the busy streets of Japan was something Haruhi never thought she would get used to. The honk of passing cars, the unintelligible chatter into cell phones. After a couple of months living here, she found it to be very helpful in calming down after an argument. As she lugged home two heavy grocery bags of beer for her father, she couldn't help but think over all that happened.

"Damnit, Haruhi!" yelled Ranka as he stumbled through the door. He was always like this after his shift at the tranny bar. Drunk and livid. Haruhi couldn't always tell what sets him off, but she is never hesitant in trying to fix the problem. "I thought I told you to have this apartment cleaned, dinner on the table, and have a beer in my hand the moment I walk in! Do you think I'm going to work for fun? Do you think I like my job?" Haruhi didn't know what to say. She never did, when he was like this. It was as if her real father had abandoned her and left this drunken monster in his place.

"D-d-dad," she fearfully stammered struggling to find the right words, "I thought maybe, you shouldn't drink so much right now. You already got a ticket for trying to drive a-and the neighbors keep c-complai-" _Whap. _Haruhi was cut off by the sound of leather hitting flesh. Her vision blurred as hot tears slid down the swelling red mark that was her cheek.

"I asked you a question, Haruhi! How do you think I feel when I come home to a worthless daughter like you? You spend all your time at that fancy academy of yours that you starting to think you're too good for me. You think you're too good to even be near me."

"Dad, I-" _Whap. _Haruhi clutched her arm gingerly, as if holding a wounded animal.

"Your mom went to one of those fancy schools you go to. She had herself a real nice job, working as a lawyer. She started making more money than me, started staying out later. She started thinking she was better than me too. Guess how she ended up? You know where that fancy Ouran Academy's going to get you, Haruhi? Answer me, girl!" Haruhi sunk to her knees silent sobs racking her entire body. Ranka suddenly switched to a loving more nurturing tone. He sank to the floor next to his daughter and began stroking her back. "That school's going to kill you, sweetheart. Just like all that working did to your mother. I don't want to lose the only family I have left. Just remember your place and walk back down to the supermarket, baby." Haruhi was almost out of the door, when a firm hand grasped her shoulder. Ranka's head was bowed, his long auburn hair shielding his eyes. His voice just above a whisper. "I only do it because I have to, sweetie." With that, Haruhi was out the door.

Walking through the colossal doors of Ouran Academy, Haruhi could already feel the criticizing gazes of the wealthy classmates surrounding her. As she stare down at the floor in front of her she wished for the umpteenth time that the roles were reversed. She hoped that one day they would come to the sudden realization that _some_ people have to work to get the grades that they do. If they would stop looking down upon people, if they were to get off their throne just once, then maybe they would see that they are blessed with the money, and social stature their parents posses. Hearing them brag about what they were doing, or getting. Listening to them complain about what they don't have, or how bad the service is at their house. It gave Haruhi a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Fugioka, Haruhi?" droned a very bored sounding voice, snapping Haruhi out of her mental rant. She slowly looked up from her desk, her eyes followed the voice to the front of the room. It was the class representative, a boy she never bothered to learn the name of. "Fugioka, do you or don't you? It's a simple question." When she didn't reply right away, his tone softened a bit, "The rest of the class voted yes. Is that your choice as well?" She gave a slight nod and dropped her gaze back to her lap. It was like that whenever anything was voted upon. She just went with what the majority of the class said, so as not to upset anyone. On the off chance that she was called to vote before the majority of the class, she just went with what the Hitachiins said. They were so popular that they were always called first, so the rest of the class would know what to pick. That kind of mindlessness is exactly how Haruhi tried not to act at her old school. As luck would have it, she didn't need to worry about who was setting the trends, because when Haruhi looked in the mirror she saw the face everyone looked up to.

Before she moved, Haruhi was quite the free spirit. Her closet was filled with clothes in every color of the rainbow, unlike the small closet she had now, barley containing a few pairs of sweats her father forced her to buy.

"I've never really wanted a girl." he said the day they were packing her clothes away. Haruhi then proceeded to unpack her bulging suitcases, unsure what to do with the clothes. When presenting the dilemma to her friends, Snow gave her a wonderful idea.

"Why don't you give us your clothes for now, and if you ever come back, or get more closet space of something, we'll send them to you." _If you ever come back. _Those words repeated in Haruhi's head everyday she'd lived in Japan. She prayed each day that her life would return to normal, and that she would be able to go back home. Back home to her cheerleading, to her swimming and basketball teams, to her trumpet, and piano. She wanted to sing in another Christmas pageant. She missed being acknowledged in the halls, missed being with her friends at the mall. They way Snow helped her with algebra. The way Belinda refused to believe life was anything other than sunshine and rainbows, never doubting or accusing others. She missed being told to pose for Nicolette's pictures for her "Four Seasons" project. Haruhi wanted to see her dad the way he used to be.

"Is he ok?" asked Kaoru, worriedly. "I think he's been staring into that sandwhich for at least half the lunch period. Should we ask if he's ok?" Hikaru slowly turned his head in the direction of the foreign student, analyzing him.

"Nah. I think he's just depressed about that sorry lunch his mom packed him." replied Hikaru, leading to a roar of laughter from the crowd of first years surrounding them. "Let's just leave him alone, what do you care anyway, Kaoru? Got a soft spot for commoners, do you?" Kaoru brushed off his twin's playful teasing, changing the subject.

Haruhi was finally got her wish after living in fear of her father. She was invisible.

Haruhi threw her ruined lunch into the trash. She wasn't really in the mood for a tear flavored PB&J right now. She turned towards the direction of the library, checking her watch. _Good thing lunch is my last period_, she thought, _I'll just head to one of the libraries and work on my research paper until I have to go home and make Dad his dinner. _ Haruhi headed to the library nearest her, in search of a book on mitosis and meiosis. She was surprised to find it filled with students, laughing and goofing around. She wove around the well dressed crowd , running into the librarian.

"Excuse me ma'am," she said shyly, "do you have any books on cells?" At first the librarian laughed, as if it were a joke. Then she looked Haruhi up and down, noting the lack of a uniform.

"Why, they're in the second library, sweetheart.", her tone was gentle and slow as if talking to a young child. "Do you need me to show you where it is? This _is _quite a large academy, after all."

"No thank you" Haruhi replied as she turned to leave. Upon entering the second library, she discovered it to be just as, noisy as the first, if not noisier. _Damn rich people, _she thought, _can't they do anything besides goof off all day. Did the ever stop to think that it might disturb those of us who actually have to _work _to make something of ourselves. _She sighed, looking out of a colossal window towards the sky. _Can you see this from heaven, Mom? Do you see the kind of world you abandoned me in? _She stopped herself from blaming her mother before she regretted it. She should've been grateful to be going to such an exceptional school. She had a father that loved her…sometimes. At least nobody seemed to notice her, which was better than being picked on in her book. Haruhi held her head a little higher as she mulled over all the good things in her life. _Now, I've just got to find an empty room to study in, _she thought. Haruhi was so lost in her thoughts, she almost walked right by the first seemingly quiet room she'd seen all day. She hesitated in front of the door, listening. No chatter. No obnoxious laughter. It was almost too good to be true.

"'Music Room 3'" she said aloud, looking at the sign above the door. She slowly reached towards the knob, not wanting to interrupt anybody's private music lessons. When she opened the door she was greeted by rose petals in the face, and the people she would soon call her saviors.


	3. Chapter 3 Surprises All Around

_**A/N: Thank you for all your kind reviews! Sorry I can only update once a week, but I'm quite a busy person…(not really…I just have algebra 1 to worry about) Please feel free to review more than once with your critiques! Not that many people are reading it and I need to know how to make it better! Happy Reading!**_

"What's going on?", asked Haruhi as she pried rose petals off her face. She was so surprised about the petals thing that she didn't pay any attention to what the six young men in front of her said. Staring at them she noticed that five of them were gorgeous, and the other looked to be about nine or ten. She was wondering what he was doing at Ouran when the blonde student seated in a throne-like chair started to speak again.

"I never thought the Host Club would be entertaining a boy. Kyouya, do you know this gentleman?" The tall fellow with glasses looked up from the little black book he was scribbling in. He sighed, snapping the book shut.

"That's Haruhi Fujioka. A transfer student from America. He has a class with the twins, so why don't you just ask them? Now if you'll excuse me Tamaki, I'm going get back to work." with that, he reopened his little notebook and started walking towards a corner that looked as though it had been sectioned off as a sort of office. Haruhi had succeeded in untangling the last petal from her hair, and was inching her way towards the door, when two pairs of slender arms snaked their way around her arms. _Those boys from my class,_ she thought, surprised. The tall blonde slowly rose from his chair, gracefully making his way towards her.

"I never thought the famous scholar would be so openly gay!" he said with a smirk. He gently grasped her chin in his strong smooth hand, "What kind of boys do you like, Haruhi? The strong, silent type, like Mori-sempai? The boy Lolita, twincest, the cool type, or" he leaned in so closely, she could feel his warm breath on her nose, "maybe, you're into a guy like me. What do you say?" At this point Haruhi was so confused and afraid, she was flinching every time one of these gorgeous boys moved. Tamaki sempai was so pushy, he backed her into a pedestal. Haruhi barely had time to register the crash when she heard the words "eight million yen". She dropped to her knees and began picking up the delicately painted blue and white pieces of pottery. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to hold back the tears. _Now you've done it,_ she thought. _Imagine how upset Dad's going to get when he figures out how much we owe this damn rich school for a stupid renaissance vase. _She clutched her cheek_, _remembering how angry he got when she forgot to get his beer chilled and on the table.

"I'll try to pay you back, I-I-I-" she struggled to find the right words. She wanted so badly to make it up to them. "I'll do whatever you want." She said, picking up the last big shard. "Can someone show me where a trash can is?" she asked looking at them, expectantly.

"It's over there-" started Hikaru.

"-In the kitchen." finished Kaoru. Haruhi gave a short bow and muttered a short thank you, before heading in the direction they were pointing. She looked over her shoulder to find them huddled together across the room, speaking in hushed tones. She guessed this room used to be something other than a music room since it had such a well equipped kitchen. She stayed in that room for a long time, trying to avoid the inevitable. They would yell. She would say goodbye to this school and her dream of ever becoming a lawyer.

The silence was deafening as she walked across the room. Haruhi tried to focus solely on the rhythmic sound of her cheap shoes slapping the over priced floor. When she reached them, her heart was pounding so hard she was positive they could hear it as well. She wished they would just start yelling already. She wasn't used to this kind of silence, before being punished.

"Have you ever heard the saying, Haruhi", the upperclassmen named Tamaki was finally saying something. "'When in Rome, do as the Romans do'?" Haruhi slowly nodded her head, not sure where he was headed with this. "Well then," he extended his long arm and pointed at her, his personality seeming to change.

"_from now on, you're the Host Club's dog."_

Haruhi typed the last sentence of her email to Snow and clicked the send button. For the past week, her friends back in America had been demanding to know how she ended up surrounded by such gorgeous young men (she'd sent pictures). The last few months she'd spent staying after school as a host were becoming the best part of living in Japan. Being swooned over by a bunch of girls didn't really suit her fancy, it was after the girls left that she really loved. She liked the feeling of laughing with her friends over silly things, like the way Tamaki had practically moved into his little emo corner. Even though she told them to cut it out, she was always happy when the twins wrapped their arms around her, and called her their toy. Mori-sempai's protectiveness made her feel safe, and brave. Like she could face anything that came her way. Walking down the street every afternoon to her broken home, she felt ten times more confident then when she'd first arrived in Japan. The sting of his anger was starting to hurt less.

Haruhi closed her laptop and started walking towards the kitchen to wash dishes. She had started washing all the dishes after each meeting to pay off her debt quicker. It always seemed like a lot, piled up in the sink, but it was only tea cups and little saucers used for cake and sandwiches. She used to wash them alone, until Mori and Hunny sempai started staying after to help out.

"Do you need anything done?" asked Mori-sempai. Haruhi was so startled she almost dropped the delicate china cup she was scrubbing. She was trying to work on not flinching so as not to rouse suspicion from the guys, but they saw right through her act. Each time she flinched or jumped, something like concern flashed across their beautiful features, but was gone as soon as it arrived. Mori-sempai's looks always lasted a little longer when they were alone.

"Um, would you mind rinsing and drying the dishes, please?" came Haruhi's slow reply. She glanced back at him, seeing that look of concern clouding his sparkling gray eyes. He took a few graceful steps forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing another flinch.

"Haruhi," he started, trying to look at her eyes, which seemed to be glued to the floor between them. "Are you alright? You seem startled by the littlest things. Is something going on that you're not telling me?"

Haruhi gave a nervous chuckle, trying to sound casual. "Of course not, Mori- sempai. Why would you ask such a silly question like that? Everything's going g-great at my house." She tried not to focus on the warmth of his strong hand, still resting on her shoulder. , or the fact the he said "me" and not "we".

"I never said anything about your home, Haruhi." He dried the dish in his hand, and set the towel down. Turning towards her, he grasped her chin in his hand and forced her to look at him. His determined gray eyes stared into hers. She felt as if he was looking into her, instead of at her. She wanted to tell him anything he wanted to know. Before she knew what was happening, tears streamed down her face as she told him everything. She old him about her father's alcohol problem, the abuse, even the "visits". That was the hardest thing to talk about. She felt so ashamed that she let it happen, that she closed her eyes against his gaze to hide the shame from him. Haruhi didn't want him to know what happened in her room at night. The way her father brushed them off as "visits" and that giving it a false name somehow made it ok. She hated the way that he thought, if nobody ever said the words molestation, abuse, or alcoholic then he was off the hook. He was still a good person if he pretended he was. Haruhi hated everything about him, but she still loved him. She hated herself for it, but if she ever had to make a choice between his life and her own, she would sacrifice herself, so he could continue living.

Mori stood silently as she sank to the floor and sobbed. Hunny had already gone home for karate practice, so they were the only two left. She wondered if she ever got the chance to let herself go like this. If she ever got a moment to stop being strong for everyone. He wished he could help in some way. What he wanted most was to hug her and tell her it was going to be alright. He wanted to be the only one kiss those delicate rosy lips. Mori was sure that if he ever crossed paths with her father, he would beat him within an inch of his life. He would beat anyone who tried to hurt Haruhi. His Haruhi.

"Sorry about this" said Haruhi, finally getting up from her spot on the floor. "I didn't want you to know any of that."

"You shouldn't have to deal with that." said Mori, wanting to hug her. He settled for an awkward pat on the shoulder, instead.

"I know, and I'm trying to get him some help. I've been trying to convince him to attend some of those meetings for alcoholics, but he's not really listening. He's not really drinking as much, because I've been pouring out a little beer out of his bottle and filling it with water instead. He complains that I'm doing something to it, but I just tell him that the only brand we can afford is the cheap kind. He doesn't always believe me, but it works sometimes." Haruhi nervously rambled on, not knowing how to end this uncomfortable conversation. She looked into Mori's gorgeous eyes, and time seemed to stand still. She felt as if they were the only two people in the world. He grasped her chin again, but this time it wasn't forcefully. He was timid about it, almost shy. _What would Mori-sempai have to be shy about?,_ thought Haruhi, clueless. She searched his eyes for some kind of hint. Looking for the reason he was scared. Mori's face inched ever so slightly towards hers, until she could feel his warm breath on her lips. His face was so close she could no longer see both of his eyes at once, her eyes were forced to stop darting back and forth. They stayed like lifetime, until he moved a little closer, pressing his perfectly sculpted lips against hers. One hand still on her chin, the other on the small of her back, inching her forward, until there was nothing between them. Haruhi could have stayed like that for the rest of her life, as long as he was there in front of her. She hoped Mori would always be there to protect her.


	4. Chapter 4 Inspection Day

**A/N: Thank you for all your support! This chapter just DID NOT want to get written. I've been so busy, you just have no idea! Oh my goodness, I just read over the last chapter, and it really sucked like crazy! I had so many typos. I had way too many ideas running through my head at the time, my fingers couldn't type fast enough to get them all to make sense….I'm sorry you guys wasted your time reading that. I'll try to do better. T_T**

It was a long silent walk home for Haruhi that day. She had so many different things racing through her mind , she was surprised she could find her way home, without being hit by a car. She had so many things she needed to talk about, but had no one to talk to. At her apartment she was either alone, or afraid. She had so many questions she needed to ask. Were they a couple? If they were a couple who should she tell? Who shouldn't she tell? How is she supposed to act when she's around him now? _Why?_, thought Haruhi. _Why did Mori-sempai do it?_ The only other time Haruhi remembered feeling like this was when she was with James.

___Haruhi could feel the hot tears running down her cheeks, separate from the cool soothing raindrops dripping from her long silky almond colored hair. Why was he doing this? How could he do this to her? After all they'd been through together, why had he chosen now to leave? Haruhi took a step forward and raised her right arm, ready to strike his expressionless face with all her might. She wanted to cause him as much pain as he was causing her. She stared into his vibrant green eyes for what seemed like hours, her arm frozen inches from his jaw. James took a hesitant step forward. He placed his smooth strong hand on her trembling wrist, slowly lowering her arm. He wrapped his arms around her petite waist and took her in a strong embrace. She held on to what little bit of hope they had left together, but it was no use. James released her, planted a soft gentle kiss on her forehead, and walked back to his car, where Cecile, his other love sat comfortably in the warm passenger's seat of his shiny new car. Her seat._

It was only a couple of months ago when they broke up. They were anxious to tell each other the big news they had. Haruhi told him she was moving across the world, James told Haruhi there was someone else. It wouldn't have been as bad, if Haruhi had been with James first. It would've hurt a little less, She would've had some sense of pride left, knowing that she had been cheated on, not cheated with. Thinking about it made her feel as worthless as when her dad brought his belt to her.

Haruhi shut and locked the door to her room, hoping to actually get some work done, before she went to bed that night. It was getting pretty impossible to do her school work in peace now that she was in the host club. _Let's see, _she thought, chewing her pencil, _If 514-x y+7..._She began writing mechanically, her mind starting to wander. Every so often she would check online to see if her answer was correct, but so far she had done perfectly. She smiled to herself, glad to have learned a lot of this in America. Haruhi laughed out loud as she remembered the day she came to Nicolette's doorstep, in her bright pink Scooby Doo pajamas, freaking out. She was so worried that everyone in Japan was going to be ahead of her she crammed in as much as she could in all the subjects she knew she would be taking at Ouran. They sat for hours at Nicolette's fuchsia desk, fueled on nothing but Monster and the seemingly endless s'mores brownies Nicolette's mother kept supplying. They both went back to school the next day with dark circles the size of saucers under their eyes. _Glad it all paid o-_ she was interrupted mid-thought by two sharp knocks at her door. She froze, halfway through writing an inequality. It was so silent, she could hear her pencil drop on the plush pink rug, her dad reluctantly let her bring. Thirty seconds passed as she waited, hoping he would just go away, but it was useless. Two more sharp knocks soared across the room towards her eardrums. She knew what they meant. The thought of what she was about to do scared her to death as tried to move her suddenly heavy legs. The cool doorknob seemed to burn with a thousand flames beneath her palm, now slick with sweat. As soon as he heard the click of the knob Ranka came rushing in, hurriedly locking the door behind him. He slowly turned around to face Haruhi, his auburn covering his eyes, her weak desk lamp cast a shadow over his face.

"So, Haruhi," started Ranka. She knew where this was going, he said the same thing every time. When she was little, she believed it. "You know daddy's poor, right?"

"Yes, dad." she sighed, ready to get it over with. She couldn't stand all this hesitation. It made her feel even worse.

"Daddy has to pay the bills this month, so we can't afford to get you your physical examination this six months. Doctors in Japan are just so pricey these days." Ranka gave a nervous chuckle as he took a step towards his daughter. Haruhi instinctively took a step back, bumping into her bedside table. She flinched as her school books fell to the ground.

"See," he started again, seizing the opportunity he was given. " You're so clumsy, it keeps me awake at night not knowing if your precious body has any bruises, or anything."

"I'm fine, dad", she replied, nervously brushing her short hair away from her face. Ranka took two long strides forward, getting as close to her as he could without touching her. He gently placed his hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the bed. She reluctantly sat down, with her back to him. Ranka smiled sweetly and turned off the light. Haruhi cried silently as he pressed his hand down onto her breasts, gently massaging them as he nudged her into a lying down position. First he slowly undressed her, taking his time, moaning slightly, then he undressed himself, and took his spot on the bed on top of her. He rubbed and massaged her whole body, all the while his moaning getting louder, the "inspection" getting more rough and thorough. Haruhi's small body, covered in bruises began to shake with shame, and remorse.

After about an hour of torture, Ranka got up to leave. He stood at the door for a moment, whispered a soft "I love you", and went to his own room, where he would sleep peacefully as if nothing had ever happened. Haruhi lay in the same position for the rest of the night, not getting a wink of sleep. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. Why had she let him do it again? She was old enough now to know that it's wrong. She deserved better, didn't she?

Haruhi shivered as she typed the last few words of her essay. She slowly closed her laptop, admiring it's sleek black on black design. It matched the iPod she was currently pulling from her pocket, as she prepared for a short nap before, she had to start cleaning up. Not long after she lay her head down on an expensive couch pillow, Hikaru, and Kouru propped her back up.

"Hey, Haruhi," started Hikaru, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Me and Kouru have been wondering lately-"

"Where did a commoner like you, get such an expensive laptop?" finished Kouru. Haruhi sighed as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, determined to get some sort of rest, before she went back to work.

"A couple of months before I came here, I was researching other kinds of scholarships I could apply for, and I saw one where they would give you a laptop and iPod if you wrote an essay explaining why you needed them. I told them about how I was going to live in Japan and go to some fancy rich school and I guess they pitied me or something, because I won." She was pretty content with just laying there for a while, dozing off, when one of the twins (It may have been Hikaru) started running his hands up and down the sides of her body. Kouru followed his brother's lead and had begun to play with her hair, when she heard Tamaki running across the room, screaming for them to stop "molesting _his_ Haruhi". Haruhi opened her eyes, expecting to see the familiar scene-Tamaki yelling at the twins; the twins not caring and looking for something more stimulating. Instead her eyes seemed to wander across the room until they found Mori, sitting dutifully next to Hunny, who was enjoying a particularly large slice of strawberry short cake. As luck would have it, he was looking her way as well. The two stayed like that for a while, oblivious to their surroundings, lost in each other's eyes. Mori looked as if, he were about to come her way, when Tamaki stepped in front of Haruhi, blocking their view of one another.

"So Haruhi," he started, one hand running through his golden hair, the other grasping hers intimately, "How would you like to go on a trip? We'll steal you away in the dead of night, and take you to a private water park, where you can relax with me all day long. What do you say? Sounds like fun, right?" His childish ways had taken over again. He was staring at her with his deep violet puppy dog eyes so eagerly, she didn't think she could say no. She knew she probably should, but he looked so sweet and innocent ant the moment, she just couldn't bear to say anything that might make him unhappy. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"When do you-" nobody could hear the rest of her question over Hunny, and Tamaki's squeals of joy. Hunny ran over and plopped himself on her lap, snuggling close as Tamaki explained the details of their little outing.

"We'll pick you up next Saturday, don't worry about the cold, it's an indoor park. Kyouya's family wanted us to come check it out and see if they needed to make any changes or anything. We will be going to dinner afterward, so bring a nice dress."

"Do you have a dress?" Hikaru cut in. "It's a pretty fancy restaurant so it's going to be black tie formal. If you don't have one, I'm sure we could get you something from our mother's collection, she won't mind."

"I have a dress," Haruhi replied, "but I don't have a swimsuit at the moment. I don't have to swim, I can just watch."

"That's ok," said Kouru, " We can just take some samples of our mother's summer line from last year. When we get there you can just try some on, to see which one fits best. Don't worry about it being last season, nobody will be there to see you."

"Gee thanks." came her sarcastic reply. She could tell he was trying to console her, but she didn't really care about what others thought about her. If she liked what she was wearing, she wore it. If she liked what she was doing, she did it. Period end of story. Haruhi covered her mouth as she yawned, still very tired. She muttered an inaudible excuse me in English-her natural language-before sliding Hunny off her lap and lying back don on the couch. Her second attempt at a nap was about to fail, when she heard a thundering velvety voice tell the other host clubbers, to let her nap. She made a mental note to thank Mori later, as she was washing dishes. They also needed to have a very important discussion before he went home for the day.


	5. Chapter 5 Where Do We Stand?

**A/N: Sorry if the last chapter sounded like a lot of fluff…I was really busy with finding a cure for writer's block. I tried to make the chapter longer, if that helps!**

Haruhi stared into the soapy water in front of her, remembering what went on the last time she was washing dishes in this room. Her lips started to tingle as a steady blush spread across her face. _I don't blush,_ she thought, bringing a hand up to her crimson cheek. _The only time my face is ever this red is when-_ She jumped, startled by a knock at the kitchen door. Turning around, she saw Mori, standing in the doorway, looking a bit awkward. He was looking at the floor, pretending to scratch his forehead in an attempt to hide his equally crimson face.

"Do you-" he cleared his throat, straitening his posture, "Do you mind if I come in?" Haruhi struggled to get something that resembled words out of her mouth, but settled for a slightly delayed nod and a feeble squeak. Mori took a couple long strides toward her, quickly eliminating the space between the two.

"So," started Mori, picking up a soapy dish and running under some water. "A-About yesterday, I-uh- are you upset-or anything? Just tell me, I'll be ok if you are." He seemed to be extremely fascinated with the intricately painted dish in his hand. He kept running the towel over the same edge, distractedly. Haruhi didn't know what to say. She had loved the way he held her, the way her lips seemed to have been made specifically for kissing his. She wanted to hug him and tell him everything she felt at the moment. She had felt the same way when she and James started dating. She still found herself missing him on occasion. Would it turn out right this time?

"I-um-It was nice" she started, "when you were holding me and-uh-other stuff. It felt good." They both seemed to breathed a heavy sigh of relief, now that the long anticipated words were spoken. Mori scratched the back of his head, looking down at the floor sheepishly.

"So," he started, "Um, are we-um-dating?" He cleared his throat on the last word as if hoping to sneak it past her. He had anticipated this moment all day, silently praying that her answer would be yes. He had planned out what he was going to say to her earlier. _Why isn't it working now?, _he thought. _It's like my mind and my mouth aren't connected anymore. What's going on with me? _Mori knew he wasn't very talkative any other time, but that was his choice. The awkward silence he was objected to now could have been corrected long ago if he wasn't so flustered. He'd hoped Mitskuni would help him sort out these feelings earlier that day, but he had brushed it off as love. Mori was baffled at the thought of one emotion being capable of all this.

He continued rinsing the last teacup, trying to buy more time for Haruhi to give him his answer. When he had rinsed it for the hundredth time and she still hadn't answered, he knew his wait was over. He reluctantly picked up the pricey blue towel she was using for the dishes today, his head hung in defeat. All that preparation, all that worry, those insane feelings he'd felt ever since she'd joined the host club. He finally took a leap, going against his instincts and trusted those feelings. Every, muscle, nerve, and brain cell screamed at him to turn around and run the day they kissed. He ventured miles away from his comfort zone just to follow his heart, not knowing if his love would be requited or rejected. His heart was shattered, to say the least. It would take a lot longer than 38 episodes to find all the pieces**(A/N: A little Princess Tutu reference for all my DuckXFakir lovers out there! Everybody else: watch it or die jk jk)**.

"S-sorry I said anything" said Mori, trying to cover his devastation with a soft chuckle. "Just forget I ever did tha-" he was interrupted by the same lovely sensation he'd felt the other day. A pair of delicate, soft rosy lips met his, quickly, almost urgently. He stood with his eyes open, staring at hers, tightly squeezed shut. As he recovered from the shock, and she started to realize what she had done, they both seemed to relax into the kiss a bit more. In just a few moments, both their paintings were pieced back together, intertwining like a big mural. _No turning back now,_ thought Haruhi as she gazed into the grey abyss of Mori's eyes. _How are the other hosts gonna react? Yikes._

Haruhi sat up, looking at the clock. 9:00 kept blinking at her in an annoyingly bright red color. Why was she cursed to wake up at the same time everyday? A frosty breeze whistled through the trees near her apartment building as she got dressed. Her sleepy legs screamed in protest as she sluggishly made her way to the kitchen to start breakfast for her and her dad. When she entered the room, something caught her eye. It was a neon orange sticky note, resting on her small refrigerator.

"Dear Haruhi," she read aloud, "I got a call from a buddy of mine earlier. We haven't seen each other in a while, so we're going to be out pretty late. Your friend Kyoya called and told me about the trip you're going on. Have fun! -Dad." _What trip?_ Haruhi thought, racking her brain, going over what all had gone on this past week. The only thing she could clearly remember was the time she'd spent with Mori, after school. He helped her with dishes after host club, then they did homework together. Mori helped her with any math she didn't understand, and she helped him out with language arts **( A/N:I don't know if they call it that in Japan! Sorry!)** when he needed it. Her favorite part was the ride home. Mori had insisted on giving her a ride home everyday in his limo, since they were dating now. It always seemed to "slip his mind" to tell the driver that there was a shorter way to get to Haruhi's house. Instead of going down the straight rode that she walked every morning, they took a much more complicated way that ended up taking them an extra twenty minutes. Haruhi didn't complain much-she loved all the alone time they got in his limo. During the host club they could hardly say two words to each other without the twins stealing her away for some dress up game, or something equally silly. When they were alone, Mori had the chance to actually open up and tell her more about himself. She was surprised at how much she didn't know.

Haruhi sighed as she opened the fridge, removing an egg and two slices of bread. Everything that happened between the times she saw Mori was a blur. A loud, blonde, blur. Leaves fell silently from thin, dark branches as she sat alone at her kitchen table, only the soft clink of her fork hitting the plate kept her company. _I guess it's just another Saturday alone. _she thought, as she finished washing her empty plate. _Maybe I could see what Snow and the others are up to. _As she sat one her couch, typing away at an email for Belinda, her phone started to ring. She picked it up, examining the number taking up the tiny screen. It was Tamaki. _Why would Tamaki-sempai call me?_ she thought, as she pressed the little green talk button. She was greeted by three very loud voices on the other end. She recognized Hikaru, Kouru, and Tamaki. It sounded like they called her in the middle of an argument.

"Hello?" she asked, not sure if anybody would hear her. They continued arguing. Apparently, the bathing suit selection Hikaru and Kouru brought with them was "unfit for any daughter of his".

"She shouldn't be showing that much skin in front of you two perverts!", screamed Tamaki protectively. "It's unheard of!"

"It's not too much skin-" started Hikaru

"-for a water park." finished Kouru.

"She's going to be swimming!" they said in unison. Haruhi was already tired of this and she had come in to the conversation less than a minute ago.

"HEY" she screamed into the phone, ending the argument. "Either somebody tell me why you called, or I'm hanging up right now." Haruhi had known them long enough not to be angry, she just knew what buttons to push to shut them up.

"Oh, I'm so sorry my darling daughter! I only wished to inform you that we'll be arriving at your house any moment now for our field trip." Haruhi could practically hear him grinning through the phone.

"Is that thing today?" she asked, vaguely remembering him whining about something similar earlier in the week. "What are we doing again?"

"Haruhi-", Hikaru snatched the phone away from Tamaki. "We talked about this just last Tuesday, did you forget already?"

"You've been really out of it lately," it was Kaoru speaking now. "Has something been distracting you?" _More like some_one, she thought, an image of her stoic sempai slowly inflating in her mind.

"No…. No, I'm fine, Kaoru." she said dreamily. "I don't have a swimsuit, I hope that's alright."

"We talked about this too. We're bringing some of our mother's summer line from last year."

"Are you _sure _you're alright?" asked Hikaru suspiciously.

"N-No! I'm alright. Just a little distracted lately. I-I gotta go. Bye" Haruhi hastily hung up before they could interrogate her any further. The guys exchanged knowing glances. Something was definitely up. If she didn't tell them today, they were going to have to find out on their own.

_Hmm…,_ thought Haruhi surveying her spotless little kitchen. _Maybe I ought to make they guys some s'mores brownies since they're taking me out today. _

"It's the least I could do." she muttered in English.

**A/N: Sorry about not uploading in a while! My internet's been acting funky and I've been a little distracted lately (CHRISTMAS!) I just made up the s'mores brownies thing, but here's how I imagine they would be prepared: pour some already prepared brownie mix into a pan; sprinkle mini marshmallows over the top, slightly pressed in I guess; when the brownies are done, sandwich them between two graham crackers while they're still hot. Feel free to try it, and pm me if it works! (^_^)**


	6. Chapter 6 Memories

**A/N: Sorry about the late uploads and stuff. My Christmas vaca. was super busy, you just have no idea. I would promise to upload sooner…but obviously I'm bad at that. :I **

**I don't really have any time anymore to write, so please bear (bare? Which one?) with me while I try to finish this .**

**I hope you like this chapter. This is the climax-type chapter that popped into my head when I first decided to write a fanfic. Enjoy ^_^**

**p.s. I fully expect everybody to review to each chapter. I appreciate that you've added my story to your alert list, but the reviews are what give me the drive to write, so without them this story might die.**

Haruhi gracefully stepped through the door of the sleek black limo that Mori was holding open for her. She sat her bag on her lap, surveying the people around her. Unfortunately, she was sandwiched between Hikaru and Kaoru, so she would have to deal with their constant chatter _and_ Tamaki's protests to them playing with her from his seat on the other side of Hikaru. Across from her were the ever predictable Kyoya, Honey, and Mori. Kyoya sitting by the window, calmly typing away at his laptop. Honey and Mori were sitting by the other window, Hunny giggling away on Mori's lap, happily playing with Usa-chan, Mori grunting dutifully when Hunny said anything. Before long, Haruhi found herself relaxing into the soothing chaos she had grown accustomed to. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, thinking of the nap she'd missed out on the other day. Her seat between the twins was a lot more bearable when she was sleeping.

"Haruhi~" Tamaki drew out the last syllable in her name, sounding very bored. "If you don't wake up we're going to leave you~" She had heard the threat many times before. _It's amazing how quickly he can switch personalities,_ she thought, groggily rubbing the sleepiness from her eyes. _One minute he acts like a spoiled child, the next he's the most mature person in the room. Besides Mori and Kyouya, of course. _ She begrudgingly slid from her comfy position in the warm limo, out into the cold, crisp fall air. Winter was feeling closer with each passing day. Haruhi smiled as she watched Tamaki shiver in his shorts and t-shirt. She was glad she'd worn a turtleneck and jeans that day. They covered up her bruises nicely, without looking suspicious. The only problem now was convincing them that she was going to wer it the whole time they were at the water park. Mori slipped her a knowing look as the others were walking ahead. At least _somebody_ would help her keep her secret.

Haruhi blinked in confusion as the entered the colossal door to the park. _It's way brighter than outside, _she thought. _And warmer too. _Haruhi turned to look at Tamaki, now more comfortable in his beach attire. He and Hunny were bouncing off the walls, _oohing_ and _aahing_ at all the rides. Without realizing, she'd lost track of Mori. Haruhi quickened her pace, not wanting to get lost in such a foreign area. Kyouya led them to a gigantic room, mumbling something like "Try not to break anything", before settling in one of the many lounge chairs with his laptop and notebook. Haruhi looked around the room, before deciding on a seat beside her shadow-kind sempai. She pulled her own laptop from her bag and started checking her email, casting a sideways glance at Kyouya, who was now scribbling something in afore mentioned notebook. _Probably adding something to my never ending debt, _she thought, adjusting the sleeves f her sweater. Her outfit was practical for the outdoors weather, but what about now? Haruhi surveyed the gargantuan pool in front of her. She wondered how long she would last, sitting in the shade, before somebody noticed she was dying in her sweater and jeans.

"Huh", Haruhi said aloud, more to herself than anyone else. The guys stopped their silly bickering for a while and turned towards her.

"What is it, Haru-Chan?" asked Hunny, his large boyish eyes staring at her laptop. Haruhi glanced at the group gathered behind her chair.

"Nothing, it's just this email I got from my friend, Snow. She and my other friends made a you tube video they wanted to show me." Hikaru blinked a few times, looking a little lost.

"Then why did you sound so confused?" he asked her.

"I didn't know she knew how to work anything other than emails and video chat. And that's only because I taught her." stated Haruhi, as though it were the simplest thing in the world.

"It's just you tube." said Kaoru, with a snigger.

"She's _really _slow with tech-y stuff". Haruhi clicked the little blue hyper-link in her email. Judging from the expectant stares they gave her, they weren't going anywhere. As Haruhi clicked the full screen button and turned up her feeble speakers, the words gliding across the screen brought tears to her eyes. Her favorite song began to play, ad she brought a hand to her mouth, to hide the fact that it was hanging ajar.

_I, I wanna wish you well._

_I didn't watch you go_

_Cause I suppose I don't know how._

"We're missing you!" floated across the black screen in bright neon letters, before fading away to reveal picture after picture of Haruhi. They had pictures of her when she was young, playing in a small blue swimming pool, leading up to more recent pictures of her before she'd left for Japan.

_I, I will remember you_

_Not the way you left, but how you lived_

_And what you knew._

They saw a picture of Haruhi with the first place trophy she'd gotten for the cheerleading squad in eight grade. After that were several photos of Haruhi in her cheerleading uniform, and during cheer practice. On her face was a look of pure determination and joy. Mori saw such a fir in her eyes, it was hard to believe that the girl on the screen and the girl in front of him were the same person. He knew how much potential she had, and would do anything to ignite that fire once again.

_I'll find my way_

_Cause you showed me how_

_I, I want to know it's you_

_When I hear your voice inside my head_

_Inside my room._

_I, I want to touch the sky_

_I want to see the stars twinkle like they were your eyes._

_I'll find my way_

_You showed me I'll find my way_

_Cause you showed me how._

Haruhi gasped, as more tears streamed down her face. "I finally finished my project, Haruhi!" floated across a picture of Nicolette's smiling face. There was slide after slide of scenery. Each picture included Haruhi in a different location at different times of the year. There was one of her sitting by a window with one leg up and the other barely reaching the floor. She rested her chin in her hand as she gazed at a beautiful sunset at the beach, her long hair swept up into a ponytail. Every one of the host club boys caught their breath as the last photo materialized onto the screen. Haruhi was standing in the rain with her arms spread apart, her head tilted towards the sky. Her long hair trailed down her back and her clothes were plastered to her skin, finally showing off how much of a girl she really was. With her eyes closed and a smile on her face, she looked absolutely stunning.

The screen faded to black, and Haruhi was about to exit the full screen when she heard Snow's voice. A video appeared of a basketball game. Snow must have been holding the camera, because they could hear her voice screaming and cheering Haruhi on above the rest. One of the cheerleaders performing was circled in red and Haruhi realized that it was her. They were dancing to a song the band was playing, but Haruhi was slowly transitioning to the last row of cheerleaders. She danced for a few more seconds, before sprinting across the court towards the band. The audience erupted with applause, as she picked up a trumpet and blared out her solo for _Louie Louie, _the jazz song they were playing. The guys barely had time to register what was going on, before Haruhi sprinted back to her place in the first row and did a series of back flips across the court. The band quieted and they end there routine with a a few more flips and a pyramid with Haruhi beaming at the top of it. The video skipped ahead to the end of the game, and they saw Haruhi running out of the locker room buttoning up a white dress shirt as she ran out to her car.

"Do you think we're gonna make it?" Snow asked from behind the camera. Haruhi giggled as she saw the Japanese subtitles floating across the bottom of the screen.

"We can't _not_ make it!" Haruhi yelled, buckling her seat belt. There was another time skip, and Snow was taping from a dark room, sitting in an audience. Applause filled the speakers as Haruhi walked on stage and sat down at a grand piano. Snow moved the camera around to reveal everyone crying. Haruhi got a standing ovation for her performance and couldn't leave the stage for two minutes, because of all the applause. Hunny wiped his eyes and sniffed loudly. Haruhi turned around to find all they boys crying over her music. She was surprised, considering she'd counted two times she'd made a mistake. She was about to say something when she heard another voice from her speakers. The scene had changed to Haruhi sitting in her mothers car.

"Would you like to tell the people of America what you just did tonight?" asked Snow in a bubbly interviewer voice.

"I didn't do anything, Snow. Stop being goofy." Haruhi sat with her head leaning against the window, her eyes were drooping steadily closed.

"_You_ stop being modest! You just did in one night what most people do in a week. You won a talent show this morning, practiced all day when you got home, sheered in a basket ball game, played a trumpet solo in that _same_ game, and got a standing ovation for your epic piano skills. Tell me that's not cool."

"That's not cool. I had too many things planned in one day, so I tried to do them all. I'm nothing special, Snow" There was a gasp behind the camera.

"Special? You're freaking amazing!" The screen went black again and reopened to three girls, standing by her mother's grave. One had long, straight black hair, with white tips. The one in the middle had a short angular bob, a vibrant auburn color. The one on the end had long dark brown spirals and a professional looking camera hanging from her neck. They were all wearing purple t-shirts that read "BFF" across the chest. Haruhi smiled, remembering the shirts they'd made at a sleepover one night.

"We miss you, Haruhi." said the first one, Snow.

"We hope you'll visit us soon." said the one in the middle. Belinda.

"Until then, never forget that your freaking amazing!" giggled the last one. Nicolette. They each made a heart with their hands, before the screen faded to black for the final time. It was silent, except for the sound of Haruhi's sniffling. She tried her best to calm down and hid her face in her hands as she remembered the good times she and her friends had.

"You really miss the don't you, Haruhi?" asked Tamaki, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Hikaru turned away, jealousy radiating from his body. _What kind of friends are they for making Haruhi so upset with this video?_, he thought to himself. Kaoru went to comfort his brother and left Hunny, Mori and Kyouya feeling a little awkward about the whole situation. They had never seen Haruhi cry and were unsure how to fix the situation.

"It's ok, Haru-chan!" Hunny said as he plopped himself onto her lap. "It's alright, you have us now. Let's just eat some cake, and it'll all work out!" He gave her a wide smile, before wrapping her into as much of a bear hug as a boy his size could manage. His optimism seemed to lighten the mood for everyone else and they all came and joined in the hug as well. The twins pulled her out of her seat, so their position wasn't so awkward and soon, Haruhi was enveloped in a sea of arms, as they all whispered reassurances to her.

"Now how about that cake?" asked Hunny sempai, as they all pulled away. Haruhi remembered what she had resting in her bag.

"That reminds me," she said pulling a blue Tupperware container from her bag. "I made you guys some s'mores brownies earlier. To thank you for this nice trip." She handed the container to Mori, blushing. "You don't have to eat them if you don't want to. I just figured I owed you one for bringing me out here."

Mori blushed back, before taking it from her hands. The other four were distracted by the thought of eating Haruhi's cooking, but Kyouya took note of their strange behavior.


	7. Chapter 7 Coming Clean

**A/N: Wow. I'm really sorry, you guys. I update like a sloth right after a nap (real slow-like) sorry if this chapter seems like a bunch of dribble-drabble fluffiness, but I was feeling some major guilt about all the emails saying people were reading my silly, little fanfic. Please review! No flames (At least not big ones. I'll accept candles)**

**A/N P.S: If there's a lot of dialogue at once I might just put the speaker's name in parentheses by what they said. ^_^ **

Haruhi blinked a a few times, trying to get her eyes to adjust to this new room with less light. It smelled like Victoria's Secret and Claire's had a baby.

"Hello?" she called into the seemingly empty room. She took one step forward and almost landed face first over a clothing rack. Haruhi picked up the items she knocked over and placed them back in there spots. _Swimsuits_, she thought. _Why couldn't it have been sweaters or something?_

"You must be Haruhi" said a pair of female voices. Haruhi jumped at the sudden noise and turned around. Standing before her were two girls with long dark hair and the same pretty face. They were a couple inches taller than her and wearing maid's uniforms.

"Y-yes, that's me." she stuttered. "What do you want?"

"The young masters ordered us to find you a swimsuit." said the one on the left.

" 'A cute one' As they put it.", said the one on the right. Her sister seemed a little more excited about the project.

Haruhi thought fast. "Um… that won't be necessary. The Hitachiins found somebody else to dress up." she inched closer towards the door. "Why don't I go get her, while you two wait here?"

"She's lying." said the bored twin.

The hyper twin took Haruhi's arm in her own. "What's your favorite color, Haruhi? That'll help us narrow down our choices a bit."

Haruhi slumped her shoulders and sighed in defeat. "I like blue, if you really want to know."

"Any favorite animals or symbols?" What kind of question was that?

"Uh-ducks, I guess."

_Great_, Haruhi thought as she tried to navigate her way back to the pool. _Twenty minutes of my life wasted, and I'm going to get yelled at for the stupid bruises. _She was still a little shaken up from the way the twin maids had reacted. The hyper one screamed, and the bored one gave her a look that showed she was hunting to kill. They'd lectured her for ten of her twenty wasted minutes and interrogated her for five more. When they saw that all they were doing to the poor girl was scaring her half to death, they agreed to let her go.

Now Haruhi was stuck walking alone in a frilly blue and white swimsuit with no shoes. _Why'd I leave my flip flops in my bag?_ she asked herself. _Because you hoped you wouldn't need them, stupid._ Answered a voice that sounded dangerously close to Snow's. She had been doing that a lot lately. Imagining what her friends would say, or how they would react to the kind of stuff that was going on in her new life. It made her feel a little less lonely. Crazy, but not lonely.

As Haruhi walked, she started to recognize her surroundings a bit more. She took a few more steps and peaked around a wall. _Damn_, she thought. She'd made it all the way back without thinking of some kind of cover story for the guys. She was about to reveal her hiding place when something blue caught her eye. A large stack of conveniently placed beach towels were sitting on a chair near her wall. She grabbed one and wrapped it around her like a large shawl. If she didn't move her legs certain ways and remained seated, it would cover her bruises quite nicely. Haruhi let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and made her way towards her friends.

"Hikaru! Kouru! What have you done with my darling daughter?" Tamaki was screeching at the twins, as usual. "I demand you tell me this instance!"

The twins resurfaced from the pool and rested their arms on the edge. "We didn't do anything, Boss, calm down." said Hikaru, rolling his eyes.

"She needed a bathing suit, so we had our maids find her a cute one. Weren't you there when we had this conversation? _Both_ times we had this conversation?" Kouru chuckled as Tamaki turned a shade of tomato red, then as he followed his sempai's eyes, he went a couple shades darker. Haruhi had changed into her swimsuit and was making her way back, but the way she had that colossal towel draped around her shoulders like that, it looked like a towel was _all _she had on. Hikaru went back under the water with a splash an Mori suddenly got very interested in the waterslide on the other side of the room. Haruhi could see his ears slowly transitioning from a light tan color so a familiar deep crimson.

Only Hunny and Kyouya seemed unphased by Haruhi's attire. "I thought you were gonna change, Haru-chan?" asked Hunny as he finished off the last of her brownies.

Now it was Haruhi's turn to blush. She looked down at her towel and wrapped it tighter around her arms. "I-I did, Hunny sempai. I'm just a little cold, I guess." her voice faltered a bit and she looked at the ground. She avoided Kyouya's eyes as she made her way to her seat. As she pulled out her iPod from her bag, her towel slipped a bit, revealing a the large purple bruise she had received the night before. She picked it back up fast enough that Hunny didn't notice, and the other boys were too busy blushing to care. Haruhi stole a glance at Kyouya. He was looking at her with that creepy glare on his glasses again.

"Why don't you show us a few of your cheerleader moves, Haruhi?" he asked innocently. "I'm sure you must be _dying_ cooped up in that heavy beach towel."

Tamaki seemed to have recovered a little from his shock. "Yeah, we'd love to see some."

Hikaru swam back up to his place beside his brother. "Yeah, show us which bathing suit you picked."

"It must be pretty revealing if you insist on staying covered up like that. What did our maids make you wear?" Tamaki got a far off look on his face when Hikaru said this. He was grinning for a bit, then he looked around nervously before turning another dark shade of red.

"Um, I'm just a little cold is all." Haruhi gave a feeble cough into her fist. "I think I might be coming down with something. Cheering wouldn't be the best thing for me right now."

Kyouya adjusted his glasses. "Nonsense. Besides, if you have a fever, the best way to check is by feeling your stomach."

"I don't really think I'm _that_ sick."

"But, you said you were sick. Now you're not?" Hikaru's tone was suspicious.

"Don't be childish, Haruhi just take off the towel." Before Haruhi could respond, three things happened at once: Mori maneuvered his way around the other hosts and stood in front of her chair; Tamaki removed her laptop from her grasp; The twins leapt from the pool and stole Haruhi's towel from behind.

The boys stood in shock, as Haruhi stood and snatched her towel from the twins. She wrapped it back around her shoulders and turned away from them, bracing herself for their yelling. _Don't cry. Don't cry._ she repeated in her head. _If you don't cry, their yelling won't hurt as much. _

Tamaki was the first to break the awful silence. "Haruhi-what-why are you- can you _please_ explain why you have so many bruises?" Tamaki stood in front of her, arms crossed angrily, blocking her path. The rest of the host club followed her lead with Hikaru and Kouru on her right, Kyouya and Hunny on the right side of Tamaki, and Mori standing a next to her. He was close enough, that if she wanted to hide, she could just inch behind him.

"Haruhi, why on Earth do you have so many bruises?" (Kyouya)

"Yeah!" chorused the remaining three.

Hunny folded his little arms. "Who did this to you, Haru-chan?" all traces of sweetness had disappeared from his voice.

Haruhi fidgeted with the edge of her towel for so long, that Hikaru and Kouru snatched it away again. She started fidgetting with the skirt of her little blue swimsuit.

"_Today, _Haruhi." (Kyouya)

She cleared her throat. "U-um what do you guys want to know?"

"How'd you get those bruises?" (Kouru)

She mumbled something inaudible.

"A little louder, if you don't mind." (Tamaki)

" I said, 'my dad.', OK! Are you happy now?" the group returned to the eerie silence they'd had before.

"Why haven't you told us?" Hikaru's words sounded very tense, as if he had trouble getting them through his clenched teeth. His hands were balled into fists and his eyes were locked to the ground beneath his feet.

"Haruhi, this is dangerous! You can't live in a house with somebody who beats you." (Kouru)

"If you'd told somebody they could've helped you." Hunny grasped her hand in his. Despite his cute appearance, his hand was firm around hers. "If you's told us, _we_ could've helped you."

"Haruhi, I don't care if that man is you-"

"You guys don't get it!" she yelled, cutting Tamaki off. "It doesn't matter what you guys say, that won't change the fact that he _is_ my dad. I love him and you guys are willing to rip away the only family I have left when you don't even know the situation."

"Haruhi-of course we know the situation! He's beating you and tha-"

"That's not all you need to know, _sempai._" Kyouya took a step back, not used to people telling _him_ what he knew. "Did you know that he ony hits me when he's drunk? Did you know that he started taking AA meetings two weeks ago?"

The boys remained silent.

Haruhi's voice dropped to just above a whisper. "Did you know that when he's sober, he's the sweetest, funniest, most caring guy I know? He's only doing this because my mom's gone. He-he can't help it." _Damn it!_ she thought angrily. _Don't cry now. _Please_ don't cry now._

Tamaki's expression softened a bit. He placed a hand delicately on her shoulder. "Haruhi, I know you'd like to think that and I'd really love to help, but I simply _can't_ allow you to live in such a harmful environment."

"Haruhi, be aware that I will notify my family's private police force about this. They _will_ come and get your father."(Kyouya)

"But then I'll have to live in an orphanage. I have no other relatives here." _I could always go back to America. _she thought with a smile creeping it's way towards her lips. _But…_ her urge to smile died as quickly as it had come. What would she do without the Host Club? They'd given her new strength. She finally found a plce where there wasn't any pressure to keep up her social status. She hadn't asked for popularity, but once you get it, you don't want to let it go. She glanced up at Mori. It seemed he was thinking about the possibility of her returning to America as well. His hands were baled into fists and he turned away from the group, feircly rubbing his eyes for a few seconds. _Look at him._ she thought. That did it. She couldn't leave Japan if it meant leaving Mori too. And if she stayed in Japan, she would have to find a way to stay with her dad.

Haruhi stood up straight, looking her bespectacled sempai in the eyes. "Kyouya, if you call the police on my dad-" she looked around at the rest of the people standing before her. "if _any_ of you call the police on my dad-I'll have nowhere to go, but America. I have plenty of aunts form my mom's side living there. Give my dad a chance. Let him go to his meetings-it'll be alright, I swear. If he keeps drinking by the time Christmas comes around, I'll call the police myself."

Kyouya's glasses glare disappeared and Haruhi could see his steely gray eyes. He extended his hand. "Fine. Until Christmas, but if I see so much as another scratch on you, he's as good as dead to me."

Haruhi shook his hand and wiped away her tears. "Whatever, sempai. It'll be alright."


	8. Chapter 8 My Girl

**A/N: I've been bedridden for the past few days with a fever, so if this sounds a bit rushed or something, forgive me. I'm about to vomit. :I **

**I stole a little scene from the Teen Nick show Victorious, so don't feel like I cheated please.**

**Thanks for all the kind reviews. I feel like giving my readers a name, but I don't know what to call you. A general name, like how Lady Gaga calls her fans "Little Monsters". If you have a suggestion, leave it at the bottom of your review. ^_^ (Changed my name, for those of you who didn't notice. It's the same username I use for my account if you want to add me or something)**

Mori could tell the limo ride to the restaurant was awkward for Haruhi. All the other host clubbers kept looking at her-and to tell you the truth: it was starting to bug him. A lot. _Relax_, he told himself. _They're just worried about her. They have the right to worry about whoever they want. _He practiced taking deep slow breaths to calm himself down, like he and Hunny have often done at the dojo. He closed his eyes as he breathed, leaning his head back against the velvety headrest. In. Out. In. Out. He tried to concentrate on his breathing, but the fact that Haruhi was squished next to him wasn't helping. His arm seemed to have a mind of his own, because he had unconsciously slung it over the back of her seat. It was far enough away from her shoulders to seem natural, but he sensed somebody's eyes drifting away from Haruhi, and onto him. Mori opened his eyes a bit and peered around the limo. Hunny and Kouru were looking somberly at the floor, still digesting the news a bit. Tamaki, Hikaru, and Kyouya were staring a little differently at Haruhi. Almost _longingly._

_Impossible, _Mori thought. He sat up straight and moved his arm a little closer to his girlfriend. _They don't have feelings for her. They _can't_ have feelings for her. _It was already a strange enough miracle that Haruhi fell for him instead of that idiot king. Mori looked out the window, imagining how quickly she would fall for Tamaki if he actually tried to flirt with her. Tamaki, Kyouya, or Hikaru seemed most likely to win her heart. Kouru cared too much for his brother, to grow up just yet, and Hunny was too much of a baby, despite his age. And Mori? Everybody assumed his heart belonged to Hunny. Nobody ever _asked _him-it was obvious enough. Mori surveyed the Host Club once more, as they arrived at their destination. He tried to imagine what it would feel like if he lost Haruhi to one of them. Just thinking about it hurt like hell.

"Thanks, Mori." Haruhi said as stepped out of the limo. Mori held her hand gingerly, not wanting to bruise or break any part of this petite girl. In public the Host Club naturally attracted people's attention, but Haurhi was a sight for sore eyes. She wore a flowing white sleeveless dress, stopping just below her knees. The dress had a thin black ribbon tied neatly below her chest and Haruhi matched it with a cute black denim jacket to cover her bruises. The jacket only came down to her ribbon and, seeing the exposed waist, Mori was very tempted to give her a bear hug. He rarely got to see her dressed so cute. _Maybe if I ask, she'll wear it on our next date. _Mori was staring a little off to the side as he thought this, much resembling Tamaki. _We're going to the movies. That's a "cute dress" occasion, right? _

"Takashi?" Hunny waved his hand in the taller boy's face. "You were staring off in to space, are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He quickened his pace to catch up with the others at the table.

Hunny looked up at him, not fully convinced. "You've been acting really weird lately. So has Haru-chan." he giggled, deciding to have some fun with his cousin. "Say, you two aren't secretly dating are you? That'd be hil-"

Mori stopped in his tracks. He looked down and gave Hunny a surprised, almost guilty look. Hunny had only seen that look when he'd caught Mori off guard. "Takashi? Is there something you want to te-"

"Hunny, Mori. I'm glad you tow finally decided to show up." Kyouya was sarcastic as usual. The way he scribbled in his little notebook was more annoying than usual.

Haruhi patted the chair next to her, as she addressed her stoic sempai. "Where were you two? We had to order for you."

"Bathroom." Mori mumbled to the group. When he thought the weren't looking he leaned towards Haruhi a bit more. "Sorry you had to order for me. Mitskuni was getting a little suspicious about us."

The way she adjusted the napkin on hr lap was so cute. "It was no problem. I kind of owed you one for the towel earlier. Thanks for putting that giant stack of towels there. It helped me think of what to say before they started yelling."

"Sorry I wasn't of much help when they yelled, but I was a little distracted at the time." They both felt their faces turn red as they remembered the swimsuit she wore earlier. After she was found out, Haruhi had been splashing around al day in barely anything. All she wore was bikini bottom with a skirt (more of a belt that a skirt in his opinion) and a tank top-type thing that left her entire mid-drift showing. Mori had been itching to beat the grin off Hikaru's face, slap the blush off that idiot king's and smash that irritating glare off Kyouya's glasses. He had a feeling that Kyouya knew nobody could see his eyes and took the opportunities to look where he shouldn't be looking.

It got awkwardly silent as they ate. Hunny was ticked a Mori for being secretive and everybody else was angry about Haruhi's dad. Kouru decided to break the silence. "I thought this place was famous for it's live entertainment."

"I've complained to the staff once or twice, but they say they have no one to perform. The person they hired quit unexpectedly." Kyouya adjusted his glasses and the glare came back.

"That sucks. They need to get better service." Hikaru was rude as usual. "Why would they promise something and not follow through? That's cheap."

"Maybe they had something really important to do!" Hunny tried to regain his chipper mood. "I bet they only canceled cause they had to."

"Hunny's right!" Tamaki lifted his fist dramatically into the air. "We should help this restaurant in it's time of need. Haruhi" He pointed across the table at her. "You should sing for this restaurant!"

"No way in hell, sempai."

Tamaki fell face first into his soup at her bluntness. "B-but, daughter! Just look at all these sad people. They came for two simple things, and it's practically impossible to enjoy one without the other! I bet they feel lied to. Cheated. Abandoned." He ended his speech with tears sparkling in his violet eyes.

The twins joined in on this little game. "Yeah, you should sing." Said Kouru.

"How bad could you be?" Hikaru took her arm in his and lifted her from her seat. "Excuse me-Waitress! My friend here will be your live entertainment." A girl wearing a blue uniform dress and carrying a tray full of drinks came over with a relieved look on her face.

"Can she really sing?" she asked, looking at Hikaru skeptically. "Or are you just trying to embarrass her?" The look on her face showed that she didn't approve of Haruhi's situation. Imagine how it must have looked: a group of gorgeous men, and one angry looking little girl.

Kyouya took the waitresses hand and looked at her name tag. "I assure you, Miss Suki, Haruhi has been in countless pageants back in America. In all of them her victory was undoubtedly because of her angelic singing voice."

All the male hosts were speechless, but Haruhi's face was a mixture of shock-because she ahd tried so hard to keep her pageant-girl background a secret from him-and rage because he found out anyway.

Suki seemed delighted by the news. She took Haruhi's hand enthusiastically. "Will you _please_ sing tonight? I'll make all of your friend's meals free." when Haruhi showed no sign of giving in, Suki tried again. "It was my job to organize entertainment tonight ant the singer quit unexpectedly. If I don't find somebody soon, my boss is gonna cut my pay. I have a baby to take care of, you gotta help me!"

All the anger in Haruhi's face melted away. It was slowly replaced with sympathy towards the girl. She didn't look that much older than Haruhi, maybe in her first year of college. "Fine. What do I have to sing?"

Suki squealed with joy as she led Haruhi to a circular platform in the middle of the restaurant. It held a white baby grand piano. "You can pick as long as it's piano music. Can you play, or do you need somebody to do the music for you?" 

"Nope, I can do it." Haruhi smoothed her skirt beneath her as she sat down. She placed her petite fingers on the smooth ivory keys and began to play.

_Keep drinking coffee stare me down across the table_

_While I look outside_

_So many things I'd say if only I were able_

_But I just keep quiet and count the cars that pass by._

Somebody to her left yelled for her to sing louder. "I've heard you yell louder than that at the boss, Haruhi!" came a similar voice. She looked over to see the Hitachiins cupping their hands around their wide toothy grins. All the other host clubbers were giving her thumbs up, and nodding their heads vigorously.

She increased her volume and a smile spread across her face.

_I hate to break it to you babe, but I'm not drowning_

_There's no one here to save_

_Who cares if you disagree?_

_You are not me_

_Who made you king of anything?_

_You dare tell me who to be_

_Who died and made you king of anything?_

Mori looked around the restaurant. People were bouncing in their seats, and clapping along with Haruhi's voice. Her beautiful, angelic voice. He was so lost, staring at her playing the piano, that he almost didn't hear Tamaki's voice. He was whispering rapidly, as if he were running out of time for something.

"Guys, I need your advice." He glanced back at Haruhi, nervously. "And quick."

"What is it, Tama-chan?" Hunny was being adorably serious, clutching Usa-chan with a determined look on his face.

"Well, I like this girl, right? And I want to ask her to go on a date with me, but I'm afraid she'll say no."

Kyouya had a glare on his glasses. "Well, what girl is it? It would help if we knew he personality."

Tamaki looked at Kyouya in surprise, as if the answer was obvious. "Why, it's Haruhi, of course. Kyouya, I figured you of all people would've guessed it by now."

The glare on Kyouya's glasses didn't go away. His response this time, was much quieter, and sounded forced. "Oh. How silly of me, I should've known."

Kouru gave Hikaru a worried look before answering Tamaki. "I think Haruhi's a bit busy for a relationship. You know with her _dad_ and all."

Tamaki's face fell and Mori fought the urge to smirk. Haruhi's song was over, and she was heading back to her seat beside Mori. He stood and pulled out her chair for her.

"So what'd you think?" she whispered as she sat down. "Did you like it?"

"Of course I did. It was wonderful."

She sighed, and looked up at him with her adorable big, brown eyes. He squeezed her hand under the table and didn't let go for the rest of the meal. _Haruhi is _my_ girlfriend._ he thought satisfactorily, looking at Kyouya, Tamaki, and Hikaru. _And _nobody's_ gonna mess that up._


	9. Chapter 9 One Down, Two to Go

**A/N: So…how am I doing on the whole updating thing? Nice, right? That's what I was thinking too. You guys should feel awesome. My life is crazy as heck with school and stuff, but I stay up late into the night writing this silly, little fan fiction just for you guys. I'm just nice like that.**

**A/Np.s: I didn't really know how to make this scene happen, so don't be angry if it's fluffy**

"So Haruhi," one of the girls asked. "What do you miss most about America?"

Haruhi didn't have to think long. These girls were so repetitive, it seemed like they asked the same questions everyday. How were they supposed to "get to know her" if they only wanted to hear the same things? Holding a conversation with them was impossible, but entertaining them was a no-brainer. "I'd have to say I miss my friends Snow, Nicolette, and Belinda the most. I know this is for the best, but I still wish they were here." Haruhi looked off into space-thinking about the big sale at the supermarket that day-causing all the girls to squeal.

A round girl with long blonde hair spoke up. "But Haruhi, don't you like the new friends you've made? If you hadn't moved to Japan, I-" she looked away shyly, blush forming on her nose. "-I never would have met you."

Haruhi smiled a sincere smile at the blushing girl. "You're right. The Host Club made me feel welcome when everybody else just ignored me. Without them-and you lovely ladies-I'd probably be sitting alone studying right now." she checked her watch. "Thank you for your company, ladies, but I'm afraid Host Club is over for today. Please come back soon." she stood in her position beside the other Hosts as they waved the girls away.

_Back at Haruhi's House…..O-o_

Ranka cleared his throat. "Um, Haruhi? Could you come here a sec? I need to talk to you about something."

Haruhi pushed her algebra book to the side and walked to the kitchen. He didn't sound angry-Ranka had been sober ever since he started the meetings. "Yeah, Dad?" she sat down across from him. He had his hands folded in his lap. Avoiding her eyes. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

When he spoke, his voice was gruff and stand-offish. The way guys talk when they've done something wrong, but try to blow it off. "Um…I noticed you've been wearing a lot of sweats and stuff lately."

She chuckled. "Yeah, Dad. You made me leave my clothes in America, remember?"

"Well…I was wondering…Do you wanna go shopping for some new ones? I got a little extra cash saved up from not buying beer and stuff. You bein' a girl and all…I figured you'd wanna wear some girl clothes from time to time."

"…"

"…Say something, already. I gotta go do stuff."

Haruhi lept from her place at the table and glomped her father. "Daddy! I love you so much! I saved all my clothes from America so all I have to do is get Snow to mail them back, but thanks for offering to buy me new clothes. You're the best."

"Snow has all your old clothes? Won't it cost a lot to have them all shipped from America?"

"Oh.. I forgot. Just forget it. I shouldn't make her do that for me."

Seeing his daughter so sad made Ranka rethink what he said. "Well, if I'm not spending the money on clothes, then I'll just pay to have it shipped! But I still want to buy you at least one dress."

"You don't have to do that, Dad. Just offering to buy it was enough. Plus you're paying to have my other clothes shipped, so it's all good."

Ranka slammed his hand on the smooth wooden table-top. "No it's _not_ all good, Haruhi! The way I've been treating you was wrong. I swear on your mother's grave that I'll make it up to you." Haruhi was quiet, as she listened to her father speak. He sounded like a new man. "I can't promise right away that I won't drink anymore. I _do_ work at a bar, after all. It's going to be tough, but just have some faith in me. I'll try to control my anger when I'm around you. And I'll try to control my…_urges_ too." Ranka stared at his hands in his lap, avoiding Haruhi's gaze. She stared at him for a long time. _Welcome back, Dad._ she thought to herself. A smile slowly graced her lips as she walked back to her bedroom.

"Aw, but now I can't borrow your stuff anymore." Nicolette whined to Haruhi. Her movements were slow and blurry on Haruhi's laptop screen. Her chocolate brown curls were bouncing around as she spoke, using her hands almost more than her words.

"Well, if you come to Japan, you can borrow anything you want from me!" Haruhi giggled as she caught up with her friend.

Nicolette put her chin in her hand and stared off into space, pretending to think. "Hm…than might not be a bad idea. Except for the fact that I don't speak a word of Japanese, you silly goose."

"Hey, it was worth a shot. I'd really love to come visit you guys some time. I miss you."

"We miss you too, sweetheart!" Haruhi could hear a distant voice coming from another room in Nicolette's house. It sounded like Belinda. Nicolette glanced at the door before turning her attention back to the camera. "Sorry, gotta go! It was fun chatting with you. Let's do it again real soon, kay?"

"Yeah.." Haruhi faltered. "Uh-bye I guess."

_I wonder what they're up to._ she thought. She frowned and put away her laptop. _I hope they're not forgetting about me._

"Something wrong, Haruhi?" Kyouya looked down at her over the edge of his wire-rimmed glasses. "You seemed a little off when you were hosting today."

Haruhi sighed, not wanting to burden him with her worries. "It's just that me and my dad had a talk on Saturday." She saw the look on Kyouya's face when she mentioned her father and quickly changed her approach. "No, no no! It's nothing bad. It's actually really good. He said that I could get all my old clothes back from America. I left them with my friends, so they could mail them back to me one day."

…"Haruhi, what does that have to do with you being distracted today?"

"Uh…I guess I was just thinking about all the new options I'd have with my old clothes. Before all I could wear was sweats and stuff, you know? " Haruhi gave a nervous chuckle and scratched her head. Kyouya looked like he was about to retaliate, but Tamaki was motioning frantically for Haruhi to come over.

"Um, yeah? What do you need, sempai?" Haruhi tilted her head, kinda confused.

"Uh- just stay after school with me, okay?"

"I did stay after school with you. For host club, remember?"

A dark pink bloomed on his cheeks. "I meant more after school. After everyone leaves. I gotta tell you something." Was he nervous?

"Bye guys!" Hunny waved goodbye to the last two remaining hosts from his perch atop Mori's shoulders.

"Bye, Hunny-sempai." Said Haruhi. Se mouthed the words "I'll text you later." to Mori. This was the first time since they've been dating(officially dating) that he wouldn't be taking her home. Although he didn't expect that idiot king to do anything serious with Haruhi, Mori wasn't that eager to leave them alone together. He was only leaving because Haruhi told him to.

"_If you stayed too, and refused to leave until I left, they'd definitely know something was up" _

"_But why do we even have to keep it a secret anymore?" he countered, frustrated._

_She fidgeted nervously with the dishes in the sink. "If they find out…don't you think it'd be a bit …_awkward_? What are we supposed to do when we're around them? There'd be, like 5 extra wheels."_

Mori gave it some thought on his way to the limo. _She right_, he said to himself._ What's new?_

Haruhi spun on her heels to face Tamaki. "So, why did you need me to stay after school with you?"

He ran a hand through his blonde tresses nervously. "Wh-why don't you sit down?" He took her hand and led her to the couch. She looked up at him with innocently expectant eyes. His violet eyes seem glued to hers, oblivious to anything else but the girl in front of him.

And that's when he did it.

He quickly leaned in(not at all like he planned) and stole a gentle kiss from her soft, rosy lips.

_What did he just…?_ Haruhi's mind was numb. This was not what she was expecting at all. _He's always running around calling me his daughter…when did he…?_

"Sorry if that seemed sudden. I just-I've liked you for really long time Haruhi."

She remained silent. Looking at him in a frozen state of shock.

"Uh…Do you like me back?"

"…"

A deep crimson spread across Tamaki's face. He blushed deeper than she'd ever seen before. "I see…Yu don't feel the same way." He looked down at the floor, his bangs blocking his expression. "Well, since I kept you here late, do you want a ride home?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that'd be really nice, sempai."

The ride home wasn't as awkwardly silent has she'd imagined it would be. Tamaki wouldn't stop talking. It seemed like he was back to his old self.

"So then, Antoinette jumped onto the dinner table and scared all the maids out of their minds! I laughed so hard I thought I would die. Oh, we're back at your house."

Haruhi said a quick goodbye and reached for the door handle, but Tamaki gently placed a hand on her wrist. "Haruhi?" his voice was low and he'd returned to the serious tone he had at the club room. "If you don't like me…then who _do _you like? And don't try to lie. We've all noticed how you've been acting lately."

Haruhi slid her wrist away from his grip. "It's nobody, sempai. Now if you don't mind I'd like to go home. Thank you for the ride." And with that she stepped out and shut the door behind her. Tamaki's eyes lingered a little low as she walked to the lobby doors of her apartment building. _Maybe Kyouya will know._, he thought later that night, looking at his phone.

"So she doesn't like me, I know that. But who _does _she like? I figured you of all people would know, Kyouya." Tamaki paced back and forth across his expensive carpeting. The question had been bothering him all day.

"I honestly have know idea, Tamaki." Kyouya hung up with his friend and picked up his planner. He erased everything he had planned for the following after noon after his Host Club duties were completed. He began making a mental checklist at dinner that night, and after that conversation, he could happily cross off the first one.

_1)Suouh get's rejected. _

"Check" he said with a smirk. _And now for step two._

_2)Steal Haruhi's heart for myself._

"I could do that one in my sleep."


	10. Chapter 10 Well This Is Awkward

**A/N: How am I doing on the whole updating dealio? Considering my school life just got twenty percent more stressful, I'd say I'm doing pretty good. Didn't really know how to do Kyouya's try, but here goes:**

Kyouya's fingers flew gracefully over the keyboard, making a steady _click click clack click_ sound that Haruhi found quite soothing as she studied. The rest of the Host Club hadn't shown up for some odd reason, so it was just him and her. Once Haruhi realized nobody was going to show up, she'd tried to sneak out of the door without bothering her busy sempai, but just as she touched the handle of the intricately carved wooden doors, Kyouya said the strangest thing.

"_Haruhi, don't leave just yet. I have some very important business to discuss with you."_

"…_Oh. OK, sempai. I'll just be overhear studying…"_

"_Very good, Haruhi. Try not to make too much noise. I'm a very busy man, you know."_

She'd been sitting on the couch for twenty minutes now, and he still hadn't showed any indication that she was there-much less waiting on him.

She cleared her throat for what seemed like the millionth time. "Kyouya sempai, I think I'd be-"

"Thank you for waiting so long, Haruhi." Kyouya shut his laptop and talked over her as she wasn't even there. He walked swiftly to where Haruhi was standing with her things in hand, and steered her back towards the couch.

They sat for a few minutes in awkward silence. Awkward for _her_, anyway. "Uh..sempai-"she began again.

"Haruhi, let's get down to business. You and I both know that I'm not the greatest at expressing my feelings, correct?"

"Yeah…" Where was this headed?

"Good. Now that we have that settled-" Kyouya wrapped his arm around Haruhi's shoulders and pressed his soft lips on hers.

Haruhi's eyes remained wide open as he leaned even more into the kiss, forcing her to lie down on the couch. _What the hell is he doing?_ Haruhi mentally screamed. _I thought he said he had business to discuss with me! _

Kyouya-oblivious to Haruhi's reaction-started nibbling her lower lip, requesting entrance.

"Oh don't be so shy." he said, when she clamped her mouth closed even tighter. Haruhi started shaking his shoulders and pulling on his hair-anything to get him off of her. She wanted to say something, but she was afraid he would go even deeper into the kiss.

Kyouya chuckled darkly, thinking her feeble attempts at protest were part of some little game. He got off of her for a brief moment so he could get into a more comfortable position. He wasn't off of her for very long, but it was long enough.

"Kyouya sempai!" she screamed at him. "What the hell are you doing?"

The look on his face was priceless. Haruhi contemplated taking a picture, but he recovered too quickly. "B-But." he stammered, pathetically. "I thought you liked me."

"What in the world gave you that ridiculous idea?" she said harshly. It was mean, but she was angry.

Kyouya had a glare on his glasses. It hid his eyes, but not his reddening cheeks. "You rejected Suoh. Nobody else in the school was compatible with you, so I was the only logical choice left."

Haruhi felt sympathy for the older boy. _He's so naive. _she though, sitting down on the couch next to him. "Kyouya sempai, just because something doesn't look likely, doesn't mean it won't happen."

"Haruhi, that doesn't make any sense."

She sighed. "When it comes to love, nothing makes sense."

"Who is it?"

"Who is what?"

"You said you were in love. With who?"

"Er…it's nobody. Forget I said anything."

Kyouya looked at her for a long time before saying anything. "Fine. You may go."

Now it was Haruhi's turn to stare. "Don't you have something to tell me, sempai?"

"Oh, yeah…" he said squirming in his seat. "Sorry I came on to you so strongly. It won't happen again."

Haruhi looked him in the eyes. She took his chin and turned his head until the glare was gone. "Kyouya, how can you take this so lightly?"

"…"

"I kept shaking you and trying to push you off, but you didn't move. You scared me, sempai. I would appreciate it if you would put a little more feeling into your apologies."

Haruhi picked up her things and stormed out of the room, leaving Kyouya with his head in his hands.

The next day Haruhi found a bouquet of red and white roses sitting on her table, next to an Edible Arrangements bouquet.Each one had a card. She read the one from the roses first.

_Haruhi,_

_I owe you my sincerest apologies. Please forgive me for what I did and how I acted, but you make me feel incredible each time I see your gorgeous face. The reason I didn't give you a proper apology in the club room was because I was a little…embarrassed. Feeling that way is very new for me, so please don't assume I'm cold._

_Kyouya._

The one from the Edible Arrangements bouquet was shorter.

_Haruhi,_

_If you tell anybody about this, I'll increase your debt ten fold. _

_Enjoy the strawberries, they have chocolate on them._

_Kyouya._

Haruhi popped a strawberry in her mouth with a smile. _Sure thing, sempai._ she thought happily.

_At the Hitachiin Mansion_

"Now you're sure that's what you saw, Kaoru?" Hikaru asked his brother nervously.

Kaoru chuckled darkly. "Absolutley. The minute he was done _groping_ her and decided to take a break, she jumped up and practically screamed his head off. There's no way Haruhi likes Kyouya sempai."

Hikaru held his finger in the air, checking off an invisible check list. "So if she doesn't like The Boss-"

"-Check"

"And she doesn't like Kyouya sempai-"

"-Check"

"And there's no way it can be Hunny sempai or Mori sempai-"

"-Check and check."

"And if she likes you, then you'll reject her?"

Kaoru held three fingers across his heart "Scouts honor."

"Then there's nobody else but me!"

"What about the other 993 boys in the school?"

"They all think she's a guy," he sniggered. "She'd never have a chance with any of those vegetables."

Kaoru gave him a high five. "Then she's all yours, bro!"

"Awesome. " Hikaru said, falling backwards onto the giant bed they shared. "All mine…" he repeated dreamily.


	11. Chapter 11 First Fight

**A/N: I hope I'm getting better on the updating(Yes? No?) I originally planned to do a chapter for my other story (A Fairy Special Girl) this time, but I have way more people involved in Haruhi's Knight, so I wanted to finish this one before I continued my other. Please go check it out if you already haven't!**

Ranka sat under the warm kotatsu with his daughter, watching one of their favorite movies. Haruhi was so into it, she rarely removed her eyes from the small TV set. Ranka tried to get interested, but couldn't. Haruhi was wearing one of her favorite halter tops from America, and even in the dark living room, Ranka couldn't help but stare at the bruises on her arms and back. They weren't as bad as a month ago, but they've been taking a long time to heal. It was as if somebody had decorated his daughter's precious body with ink so blue, it was nearly black.

_What is that?_ Ranka thought, noticing a small line, slightly raised from the rest of her skin, gliding between Haruhi's shoulder blades. Ranka leaned even closer to the petite girl, earning a questioning side glance from her.

Ranka pretended to be admiring the blood red fabric of the kotatsu.

_My God, it's a scar. I took a knife to my daughter and I can't even remember it…_

Ranka snuck one last glance at Haruhi, before announcing that he was tired and leaving the room. He slumped down on his bed, and pressed his face into the down pillow, trying to muffle his sobs. _What kind of father am I? She must think I hate her. Even I hate me. I have to repay her somehow. _

He slowly got up from his bed and made his way to the bathroom. He glanced at the hot pink hair dryer, the cord haphazardly discarded by the sink. Ranka lightly tapped the matching curlying iron, still plugged up. It was hot, but she'd find him before he was finished.

Ranka stared at the bottle of Xanax in his medicine cabinet.

_I don't deserve to walk this earth._

**At the Host Club.**

Mori looked around at the other Host Clubbers nervously. He and Haruhi were sitting together on the couch, studying. She wanted a little "extra help" with her algebra that day since she had to leave early and couldn't wash the dishes with Mori. The boys were a little reluctant to leave Haruhi alone for a whole hour but eventually gave in, letting her have some peace and quiet. Hikaru, however was more than a little reluctant. Mori smiled, remembering the way the younger boy had thrown such a tantrum.

"_But, Haruhi~! I'm in your class for Pete's sake. Don't you think I'm more suited to tutor you in the homework?"_

"_No."_

"_Why? Why? Why? Why!" Hikaru's hands were balled into little fists, his knuckles turning white. Mori fought to keep up his calm and stoic façade. _

"_Because, Hikaru! Since you're in my class, you just learned it too. It wouldn't be very productive to learn from someone who just learned it himself. Mori's been doing this for three years, so he's more qualified to help me when I get stuck. Now, I don't mean to be mean or anything, but can you leave, so I can get back to work?"_

_Hikaru stood there for a long while before answering. His mouth was set into a thin line, and Mori could have sworn his hair was standing on end, like the way a bird's feathers ruffled when it got angry. _

"_Ugh!" he grunted. "You're ruining everything!" _

Haruhi looked at the giant gold and pink door Hikaru and Kaoru stormed out of. _I wonder what he meant by that._ she thought curiously. She was about to ask Mori when she saw him covering his mouth.

"What's up?" she asked. His eyes were screwed shut and his whole body seemed to be racking with laughter.

"N-Nothing." His answer was muffled and forced between giggles.

Haruhi got even more curious. "Come on," she protested, shaking his arm. "Tell me. Why are you laughing so hard? What's so funny? I wanna laugh too, you know."

He looked down at her, tears brimming in his eyes. He looked around at the other hosts, making sure they were too busy to pay attention to the couple on the couch. "How could you not laugh at that?" he asked her, gesturing towards the door. "He practically threw a tantrum. He looked like a little kid again!"

"…Really?" Haruhi's tone was so flat and blunt, it knocked the smile right off of Mori's face.

"Uh…yeah?" _Oh no, _he thought desperately. _Now she thinks I'm mean. I've probably made her angry. _"I mean-It was funny at first. He reminded me of a bird."

Mori fought to read Haruhi's expression, though he couldn't see her sparkling eyes through her thick bangs. "I mean-It's not funny anymore. We should probably go check on him. He seemed really upset."

Mori rose from his seat and offered Haruhi his hand.

Haruhi's eyes met his. They'd lost all traces of their former melting chocolaty warmth, instead they were cold and unwelcoming. "I think you've done enough, sempai. I'll go by myself." she smacked his hand out of her way and strode quickly to the door. _Oh no. _Mori thought, his palm hitting his forehead. _She hasn't called me "sempai" in weeks. I really screwed up. _He was just on his way out the door when Haruhi's phone rang. Mori picked up the small red flip phone the twins gave to her. He glanced at the number and answered immediately.

_I can't believe he'd laugh at Hikaru's feelings like that! _Haruhi fumed, as she power-walked down the hall. _He _knows_ Hikaru has trouble expressing his feelings. He just came out of his shell a little while ago. _She slowed her pace at the sound of voices. One was calm and nurturing, the other was a combination of fury and despair. Haruhi tried her best to be sneaky as she poked her head around the corner.

_Hikaru and Kaoru, _ she thought. _Was he really that broken up about not being able to tutor me?_

Hikaru was sitting with his head in his hands, his long legs drawn up to his chest. Kaoru was sitting near by, rubbing small circles in his older brothers back, whispering soothing words.

"You can come out, Haruhi." he called in an amused tone.

Haruhi jumped at the sound of her name and came from behind the corner looking sheepish with a hand behind her head.

"I wasn't snooping" she said apologetically. "I -I just anted to make sure Hikaru was OK. I didn't know it would bother him so much if Mori helped me with my math. Sorry."

Kaoru let out a low chuckle. "You thought he was worried about _that_?" he muttered, getting up and gathering both his and his brother's things. He addressed the rest f the group when he said: "I'll meet you out front, Hikaru. If you take too long I'm leaving without you."

_Take too long with what?, _Haruhi wondered absentmindedly. _Why can't we all talk together? It's nothing private. _

Hikaru got up as well. "Thanks Kaoru, I might take longer that you think." _I hope I'll be all night. _he finished silently. _She came chasing after me. That's a good sign. I knew she couldn't like anybody else. _ Hikaru took his time walking to Haruhi, taking long swaggering steps towards the girl. "So," he said cockily, putting his had on the wall beside her head, blocking any chance she had of going back the way she came. "You decided to come after me, eh?"

_What's his deal?_ "Um, yeah. I thought you were upset." she looked at the ground, breaking the gaze he had on her. "I was a little harsh in the club room. Mori and I are sorry."

Hikaru's jaw tightened. "Is Mori with you, right now?"

Now Haruhi's jaw tightened. "No. He had some thinking to do." she said bluntly.

He relaxed. "Then why don't we stop thinking about him for a while. Why don't we just forget all about what happened in the club room, eh?" He moved in quickly, closing what little distance there was between the two.

_AGAIN?,_ Haruhi mentally screamed. _What's going on with everybody?_

Haruhi pushed Hikaru off of her with a short high pitched grunt. "Hiakaru, I came here to apologize not to-"

There was a gasp from behind the corner. Haruhi closed her eyes and silently prayed it wasn't who she thought it was. She moved one lead foot after another begrudgingly towards the corner.

Mori was standing there, a mixed look of shock and anger painted upon his gorgeous face.

Haruhi and Hikaru both took a step forward. "Mori I can explain." they said simultaneously.

Mori looked Haruhi dead in the eyes, seeing nothing but her. "Alright. I'm listening."

"Well," she looked down at her feet and sighed. "Over the past few weeks, some weird stuff has been happening. I didn't tell you because I thought you'd be angry with me…"

Mori's face turned red with anger. "Stuff?"

"Tamaki sempai confessed to me, Hikaru just kissed me, and Kyouya sempai kissed me a little more…_passionately."_

"Why didn't you tell me? Kyouya's a dead man." he said under his breath, already half way down the hall.

Haruhi ran after him, leaving a very confused Hikaru trailing behind.

She took the sleeve of his powder blue uniform jacket between her thumb and index finger. "Mori, don't. They didn't know that we were a thing. I set them straight."

Mori was skeptical. "If they knew we were dating, why were they so cool about it? Mitskuni hasn't said anything to me regarding the situation."

"…well…"

"Well what?"

"I didn't tell them we were dating. I wanted to talk to you first."

Mori pinched the bridge of his nose impatiently. "But how were we supposed to talk about it if you were planning on keeping it a secret? Sweety," he let out an exasperated sigh. "all of this is starting to sound like something sneaky is going on, and I don't like it. Now we're going to go in there together and tell them we're dating. If they don't act genuinely surprised, shocked or weirded out-I'm gonna think something's up." He turned and continued walking without another word, knowing Haruhi would follow.

And of course she did.

They were outside the door when Haruhi stopped him yet again.

"What is it now, honey?"

"Why did you come looking for me in the first place? You had my phone in your hand like somebody called."

Mori looked vacant for a second, then he took her hand in his and bolted for the door.

"It's your dad." he said carrying her down the stairs bridal style. "They called from the hospital. He had an overdose."

_**A/N: Hehehe…cliffhanger…**_


	12. Chapter 12 The Drama Never Ends Mori

**A/N: Hehe. The reviews made me squeal. I miss having a full inbox =( Please don't read without reviewing, peoples. I won't upload unless I know people are reading(you don't even have to have an account!). I need AT LEAST ten reviews for this chappie before I update the next one. It's testing season right now so please don't get upset if I'm gone for a month or two…**

Hikaru stood motionless in the hallway, staring at the space where his beloved Haruhi was standing only a moment before.

_They're dating._

_They're…dating?_

He balled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. A grotesque vain greeted the world from the side of his neck.

_THEY'RE DATING!_

Hiakru charged through the ornate wooden doors of Music Room 3. He looked around for Kaoru, only to remember that his younger brother was waiting by the limo for him. However, he stood there long enough for the remaining boys to know something was up. They were already a little on edge about the squabble Mori and Haruhi had had earlier that evening.

Kyouya was cool and composed about it all. "Is something the matter, Hikaru?" he asked nonchalantly, still typing away on his laptop.

"You have no idea." he said, still shocked from the conversation her overheard.

Kyouya sighed. "Which is precisely why I asked you, now isn't it.?"

"Oh. Oh yeah. It's Mori and Haruhi."

Tamaki and Hunny perked up at the mention of their friends.

Kyouya's cheeks were a little flushed when he spoke again. "Y-yes. There seems to be something going on with the three of you."

Hikaru let out a sharp angry chuckle. "Not me," he pulled out his phone and started texting furiously. _Kaoru has _got _to know about this._, he thought. He stopped and looked around. "We need to get to the hospital. That's where there headed. _They _should be able to explain the rest when we get there."

On that note, the hosts left without another word. Each heading o their respective limo, and following Mori and Haruhi to the hospital.

Haruhi was on edge the whole ride to the hospital. Mori kept sneaking worried glances her way. _Did I scare her when I yelled?_, he thought regretfully. _Nah, she's just worried about her dad…._

Mori tried to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but she brushed it off. He gazed down at the girl, worry graced his strong features. Why was she suddenly rejecting him? Didn't he have a right to be mad about all the kisses? That worry was etched even deeper as Mori recalled what they talked about the previous day while staying late for the Host Club.

"_I have an idea", Haruhi said playfully. She wriggled around in Mori's arms until she was facing him directly. "Why don't we tell each other what our dreams are for the other person? Like, what we hope they will accomplish before they're out of high school."_

_Mori looked at her for a second, admiring the way her silky hair fell over her eyes, framing her face perfectly. He gently reached out a hand and brushed the hair away. "I think that's a great idea, Haruhi. Would you like to go first, or should I?"_

_She visibly relaxed when Mori said he liked the idea. "I wanna go first." she stared long and hard into his steely grey eyes. Finally she leaned in closely and whispered into his ear. "I hope that one day, Mori, you can be as confident as Tamaki. You admire his confident social skills so much, I want you to be able to come out of your shell a little bit more and open up to more than just two people." He waited for her to say more, but she just bit his ear and kissed his cheek before pulling away. "Your turn."_

_Mori didn't really have to think about it for long. "I want you to stand up for yourself a little more." he wrapped his long arms tightly around her petite waist. "Whenever you do something wrong, you always apologize fifteen times before the accuser gets a chance to take a second breath. Before you graduate, I just want you to be able to say no to people. You don't have to go along with everybody else just to make them happy. _You _need to be happy, sweetheart." Mori turned her around and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She looked at him with an emotion he couldn't read. Without saying a word, she snuggled back up to him, in her former position, and sat on his lap, deep in thought. Mori spent the rest of their time together planting soft, sweet kisses into her strawberry scented hair. _

"We're here.", Haruhi sighed. She hurriedly got out of the car and ran to the front doors. Mori apologized to the driver for her rudeness and told him where to park.

As he entered the hospital, Mori was hit with the smell of antiseptics and sorrow. He scanned the dismally white room for a nervous powder blue jacket, only to find it bobbing down the hall toward the elevators. Mori scribbled his name in the check in so quickly it hurt. He probably wouldn't have gotten away with such an informal procedure if the receptionist wasn't a round, middle-aged woman, caught up in his youthful handsomeness.

As he caught up with Hauhi in the small white elevator, Mori was surprisingly winded. _To think I'm a famous kendo champion, and I had trouble keeping up with my girlfriend. _ He was grateful for the slow steady tug on his stomach as they inched their way towards the fourth floor. Haruhi jabbed at the pale yellow button fifty more times.

"This elevator's moving too damn slow! We're not gonna make it.", she muttered under her breath. Mori rested his gaze upon the love of his life once more. He had never seen her act like this. So…in charge. He liked it, but it also scared him a little. The big metal doors slid open and Haruhi ran out. Mori didn't think he could face Ranka after what Haruhi went through, so he contented himself with pacing back and forth in the waiting area.

The ghostly white hallway was practically empty besides a withered looking old lady. She kept wringing her hands over and over as if she was expecting bad news. Mori snuck a glance at her eyes, pale blue and sad. She caught him staring and met his gaze. For an instant her face lit up and there was a sparkle in her eyes. Mori smiled awkwardly and went back to pacing. He hoped that bad news would never come.

Mori kept replaying that day in the club in his mind. The same thought kept running through his head.

_What if she doesn't want to be with me anymore?_

_What if she only stayed with me for so long was because she felt pressured? _Mori sat down on a stiff white chair across from the old woman, resting his elbows on his knees and running his fingers through his shaggy black hair in frustration. _I _did _kind of force myself on her. She probably only dated me because she thought I would yell at her if she didn't. It was way back when she was still being abused by that bastard. _

Haruhi busted through the door, snapping Mori out of his thoughts. Tears made her gorgeous chocolaty brown eyes sparkle. She ran into Mori's arms and buried her face in his broad chest. "He's gonna be Ok, Mori." she whispered. "He's gonna be OK." Mori wished they could stay there forever, but all good things have to end. Haruhi pulled away and took both of his hands in hers. She stared up at him with a relieved smile on her face.

"I want you to meet him", she said, dragging Mori across the hall and into Ranka's hospital room.

Millions of emotions coursed through Mori's veins in the thirty seconds it took her to drag him in there. The one that stood out the most was anger. With each step it boiled into something bigger. Rage. Fury. Hatred. Outrage. He loathed Ranka Fujioka since the day he kissed Haruhi. He was absolutely positive that seeing him face to face would just give Ranka another reason to stay in the hospital, and Mori a reason to go to court.

"Haruhi I don't think I-"

"MORI!" five voices called his name from the end of the hall. Our weary hero and heroine looked down the hall at their pursuers. The rest of te host club was parading down the dull, antiseptic smelling hallway.

For once _none_ of them looked in character.


	13. Chapter 13 You Deflowered my Baby?

**A/N: Wow, I got a lot of reviews last chapter. I'm happy, but also not happy. I'm kinda confused as to why some people would think it's Ok to read without reviewing…**

**News Flash: If we(the writers of the world) don't think people are reading our work(and we know that when we get reviews), we won't continue the story. **

**Thanks for the reviews, but I was mega surprised at how many of you read my story without reviewing…**

_What now? _Mori asked himself, throwing his hands up in defeat. They've had more drama in the first half of this school year than Mori's had in his whole life. He just wanted it to end. He turned and looked at his five accusers storming down the drab hospital hallway. Haruhi glanced up at him, worry on her face. They both new the time would come, but they'd hoped it would be a little closer to the end of the school year. That way they could go on vacation for an entire summer and not worry about what the rest of the host club thought about them dating. Mori let his mind wander at the prospect of going on vacation with Haruhi. Some place nice and sunny, like Fiji. Or full of culture and depth, like Switzerland.

Tamaki was the first to reach the guilty couple, the look in his eyes said he would take no mercy. "Takashi Morinozuka!" Mori took a step back. He wasn't used to Tamaki getting _this _angry. "You snap out of your daydream and listen to me, sempai. I-"

"We!" cut in Hikaru and Kaoru.

"_We_ have some questions for you both, and you better give us the truth or-so help me God- I'll-I'll-" Tamaki was too angry to even finish the rest of his sentence. Haruhi was tempted to say something defiant and/or sarcastic, but the look on each of their faces were too menacing to counter with a witty retort. Mori took her elbow and gently led her to a small white love seat. She looked around, making sure there weren't any doctors or stray patients wandering within earshot of their little interrogation. The seat was a little small, so in order to fit Mori into the chair, she was halfway sitting on his lap, with her legs draped over his. Kyouya, Tamaki and Hikaru looked ready to lunge, but Mori wrapped his long arms protectively around her.

He cleared his throat and addressed the group. "What was it you wanted to ask us?"

Hikaru leaned forward in his chair a little. "Are you guys really dating?" His tone was no longer angry, but instead held a twinge of sadness.

"Yes." Mori said, trying to sound confident. "Haruhi and I are dating." He looked around at everyone, making sure they were all Ok with that fact. Kyouya's glasses got a glare on them as he lowered his gaze, and Tamaki's shoulder's fell. Hunny looked a little hurt. Kaoru put a comforting hand on Hikaru's shoulder like he had on the stairs at school, but Hikaru shook him off.

He looked at Haruhi, willing her to give a different answer, but she just looked right back and nodded her head. She took Mori's hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze. Finally it was out in the open. Haruhi sighed as I a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"How long has this been going on?" Hunny asked. Mori felt bad for not telling him, but Haruhi got so stressed at the thought of having to deal with people objecting their relationship he couldn't bear to tell a soul. Not even Hunny.

Mori couldn't meet his eyes. "Since a couple days after Haruhi joined Host Club. I-I kissed her when I found out about the beatings and th-" he stopped himself before he mentioned the horrible violations Haruhi had went through. "The whole "not being a boy" thing."

Kyouya gasped. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"About the beatings or the relationship?"

"Both."

Haruhi looked up. "Because I told him not to and he's a man of his word."

"Speaking of him being a _man_." Tamaki started,. He folded his arms an leaned in a little, lowering his voice to a just above a whisper. " Has he-you know- done anything besides kiss you?"

Haruhi's face turned a deep shade of scarlet. She took her legs off of Mori's and folded her hands into her lap. Mori looked anywhere but at her in an attempt to hide his doubly red face. Neither of them said a word at first, hoping that Tamaki would get the message that they were too shy to do anything like that.

Of course(being Tamaki), he took it the wrong way.

"You deflowered my baby?"

Hikaru and Kaoru spoke in unison. "Haruhi, trade spots with me right now!"

Kyouya gasped. "Mori, I imagined you to be more traditional with women."

Hunny shook his head in disgust. "Where's you honor, Takashi? She's younger than you."

By this time Mori was shaking his head so fast he thought he might get whiplash. And Haruhi's face was a whole new kind of red.

Mori was thankful that the old woman left before the Host Club arrived. She might have been a stranger, but it surprised him how deeply ashamed he would be if she-or _any_ old woman, really-assumed he had done something so dishonorable.

Mori cleared his throat, trying to calm the rambunctious group. Despite his peaceful objective, the noise rumbling deep in his chest sounded close enough to thunder that Haruhi flinched. She buried her face deep into his shirt and let out a small whimper.

The host club quieted.

It took Mori a second to realize that it wasn't him that calmed them all, it was the trembling girl, in his arms. Immediately he began stroking her hair, whispering soothing words in her ear as he had done so many times before. He pulled her back onto his lap and cradled her, rocking back and forth slightly-ignoring the feeble protests from Tamaki.

Mori looked down at Haruhi nervously, making sure she was alright.

She looked back at him and smiled sheepishly. "Why do you always fuss over me? I was just a little startled, is all."

"You're afraid of thunder." he answered softly. "I wanted to make sure I didn't scare you."

Haruhi sighed and leaned onto his chest, closing her eyes. A few moments passed and her breathing became deep and even.

_She looks like an angel when she sleeps._, Mori thought blissfully.

"Mori?" Kyouya leaned forward a little. There was a glare on his glasses. "Last question."

"Shoot." he said quietly.

Kyouya voiced the question that had really been bothering them. "Do you really love her?"

Mori met each of there eyes. It surprised him how much they were concerned for her well-being. _Well, _he thought. _She is pretty amazing. I don't think anyone could resist her. _

"Yeah." he said confidently. "I love her with all my heart. I hope all of you can accept and respect that."

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed like an eternity went by before Haruhi finally awoke. When she did, she stretched a while and planted a sweet kiss on Mori's cheek.

_God, she's cute._ he thought as his cheek turned warm where she kissed it. _She looked just like a cat after a nap. _

"Did you sleep well, lo-" Mori remembered where they were. He cleared his throat and glanced at the club. "I mean. How was your nap, Haruhi?"

She sat up and looked around at her friends. "It was fine." She got up and stretched one last time. "I'd like you guys to meet somebody if you don't mind."

Mori tensed. "Your dad?"

She looked into his somber gray eyes. "Yeah. I'd like you guys to meet my dad."


	14. Author's Note

**Sorry for 2 things:**

**First for not uploading in months. My computer had a nasty virus and it just got fixed.**

**Second: For accidentally uploading the same chapter twice.  
**

I'm halfway done with the REAL chapter 14 so there won't be much of a wait hopefully.


	15. Chapter 14 A Hungry Ending

**So** **if I forget anything from the last chapter, please don't get mad. My internet is down again(by the time you read this it will be back up again, of course), and I delete all my chapters after I'm done with them, so I can't really read them over again for reference. Sorry. =(**

The normally chatty Host clubbers were silent.

Mori took a few deep breathes.

Just the thought of meeting the man who had hurt Haruhi, filled him with a rage so powerful, it left no room for words.

He took some more deep breathes.

How could she possibly expect him to sit next to the bed of a man who would lay hands on his wife and child?

Mori took one last deep breath and looked into Haruhi's big, pleading eyes. He looked at the rest of the host club. They were all just as silent as he, deep in thought.

Mori took Haruhi's hand and opened the door.

The room was just like any other in the hospital. A couple chairs, a bedside table, and a bed. Mori took several more deep breathes as he walked towards the mess of auburn peeking up above the blankets. Ranka's arm was hooked up to an IV, and as he sat up, Mori could see more wires coming from his stomach and chest. Mori's eyes traced the wires back to a large beeping machine standing in the corner.

"Dad," Haruhi's voice was quiet and careful. "These are the guys I was telling you about. The Host Club."

Hikaru, Kaoru and Hunny swaggered over to the bed with their arms crossed, trying to look intimidating. Tamaki stood at the foot of the bed with his eyes on the floor and Kyouya just stood in a corner writing in his little black notebook.

Haruhi led Mori to the other side of the bed, closest to Ranka.

"And this is my boyfriend, Takashi Morinozuka." Haruhi gave Mori's arm a little pinch and he extended his hand.

"You can call me Mori…sir.", Mori choked out the last part without making eye contact.

Ranka looked so frail and weak sitting in the hospital bed. He slowly lifted his arm, as if he were Atlas, lifting the world for the first time. Mori could see bluish-green veins on the back Ranka's hand, and he could feel almost every bone as he shook it. When Mori pictured this moment earlier, he imagined himself crushing Ranka's hand before punching him in the nose. He wanted to kick him in the stomach and send him flying across the room, but instead, he just focused on the dull beeping from the machine. It had a nice, steady rhythm to it.

"How nice to meet you, Mori! Haruhi's talked a lot about you, but she never mention you being so handsome." Ranka giggled in a way that was too bubbly to match his sickly hospital surroundings. "In fact, she's never mentioned any of you being so handsome! You'll have to excuse this hideous gown-the nurses wouldn't let me keep my old outfit." He turned to face the twins. "Hikaru, Kaoru, you two are into fashion, right? You should have seen this blouse! It was a lovely fuchsia color with little-"

"Are you _serious_?" Tamaki was looking at Ranka with an intense anger in his eyes, that no one had ever seen before. "You really expect us to talk about some stupid blouse like nothing's happened? _Really?_"

"Sempai, stop." Haruhi's voice was full of warning.

"No Haruhi, he's right." Hunny's voice was caked in disgust. "That man owes us all an apology." The twins were nodding in agreement.

Haruhi took a step back. "What could he possibly have to apologize to you for? He's never done anything to you."

No one responded. They just stared at Ranka expectantly.

Ranka seemed afraid to meet anyone's eyes. "I-uh-I suppose you've heard a few things about me, then?"

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Ranaka continued without a response. "Well, I-um-I know what I did was wrong. And I don't go one minute without feeling terribly about the way I treated Haruhi, and she knows that. I've tried to get back on the right path before, but it just never seemed to work. I would go a couple moths sober, then I'd sip some wine at dinner. Then a sip would turn into a glass, and a glass would turn into a bottle. Then I'd just be back where I started.

"But this time it's different. I've been sober for almost three months. That's the longest I've ever gone without a drink. And I haven't laid a finger on Haruhi for almost a month. I know it's nothing to be proud of, but it's a start. I've apologized to Haruhi, and she's forgiven me, but I have to agree with her. Why would I owe any of you an apology?"

There was a mix of cursing and yelling as that final question was asked. Mori tried to focus on the beeping.

"You bastard! How could you refuse to apologize to us after all we've been through?" Tamaki paced back and forth running his hands through his hair frustrated.

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Kaoru was holding Hikaru's arms behind his back.

"Just let me have him for a second. I'll give him a reason to be in that bed!"

"Hikaru, just stop! He's not worth it! Stop!"

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Hunny remained staring into Ranka's eyes, fearlessly. "You're lucky I don't fight those weaker than me. You're a pathetic excuse for human being."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Kyouya moved forward from his position at the corner. "Are you _sure_ you don't owe us an apology Mr. Fujiyoka? Because I have enough information to have you behind bars until your grandkids graduate. Add a few more years for all the things I could frame you for."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

"You guys, just shut up! He didn't do anything wrong, just shut up!"

_Beep. Beep. Beep. _

Haruhi tugged at Mori's shirt sleeve, until he looked at her. "Do something. _Now._"

Mori looked at Ranka, then back at Haruhi, then at the rest of the Host Club.

Then he let go of Haruhi's hand an walked out of the room.

By the time he got to the elevator, he could no longer hear their shouting. He let out an exasperated sigh, when he saw that the elevator was full. A couple of girls, about his age, scooted over to make room for him, but he was already on his was to the stairs.

He walked through the children's section of the hospital, taking long brick strides. The walls were decorated with bright rainbows and farm animals. Mori glanced at the pictures and let out a single bitter laugh.

When he reached the end of the hallway, he turned left and opened the first door he saw. He walked into a dimly lit staircase. Mori sat down and released a breath he didn't realize he was holding in.

"So much has been going on lately.", he said aloud, running a hand through his short, black tresses.

"Tell me about it." Mori turned around with a start and saw Haruhi leaning against the doorframe. "I'm sorry, I put you through that. I should've asked instead of demanding it like that." Haruhi closed the distance between them and planted a soft kiss on his lips.

As much as Mori enjoyed the rare alone time they had together, he gently pushed her away.

"What's the matter? Are you still mad?" Haruhi's brow was furrowed in an adorable sort of way.

"Haruhi," Mori sighed. "Ever since I found out about what your father did to you, I've been scared out of my mind. I've been lying awake in bed for hours to make sure I'd be ready to answer if you called. Thinking about the fact that someone has been hurting you, and I can't do anything about it has made me so ashamed of myself, I'd stay holed up in my room for days. Every morning when I see you're gorgeous, face, and those big brown eyes, I literally want to jump for joy at the fact that I get to see you just one more day." Mori paused for a long time.

"I guess…what I'm trying to say, is that you and your father have caused more stress in our lives than you could possibly imagine. The only reason they got so upset back there is because they've come to love you. You've made such a difference in their lives that they couldn't possibly imagine living one without you. And neither can I."

"Oh, Mori-"

"I've fallen in love with you, Haruhi Fujioka. And the entire time I've been in love with you, I've also been scared to _death _of what could have happened to you at your own house. I-"

Haruhi placed a finger on his lips. Tears were streaming down her face as she spoke.

"I am _so_ sorry. I had no idea that you were so worried about me. I-I love you too. And if I could go back and do it all over again, I would, but for right now all I can do is try to make it up to you. Takashi Morinozuka, from this day forward, you have to promise me that if you're ever feeling this way again, you'll tell me."

Mori nodded.

"And I promise not to make you feel like that ever again. I love you, so much. You've been the best thing that's happened to me in ten years."

Haruhi removed her finger from his lips and kissed Mori like she hadn't had food in three months and he was a big plate of fancy tuna.

**A/N: Hope you liked it. Sorry it still took me so long to update it, but school's pretty darn hard. **

**Now I have a question for you: Why is it that only one person found it necessary to inform me that I'd accidentally uploaded the same chapter twice? I left it up there for, like 3 days thinking it was an author's note/apology. **

**Sheesh, has it been that long since I've updated? ;P**


	16. I Wrote A Sequel!

Since a lot of you didn't want the story to end, I started writing a sequel that focuses on another student from America, named Allyn. Since Allyn is the only black girl at Ouran, she feels very alone and starts to hate the way she looks, but a certain _shadow king _tries very hard to convince her how beautiful she really is.

The story is called Painfully Unique and I have written five whole chapters for it already!

I would really appreciate it if you popped on over and checked it out.

Thanks again for reading this story and giving it so much love.


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